Lent 2015 Issue 4

05 February 2015 Vol. 16 Lent Issue 4

The

Cambridge Student

Cambridge was this week graced with 2015’s first snowfall. For more snaps of the flurry and its aftermath, turn to page 20

Image: Chase Caldwell Smith

Hundreds not covered by Uni Living Wage pledge

A

Colm Murphy and Sam Rhodes Associate Editors

n investigation by The Cambridge Student has revealed that last year’s pledge by the University of Cambridge to pay all of its directly employed staff the Living Wage does not extend to over 600 temporary workers.

Through the Temporary Employment Service(TES), the University employs over 600 staff for a variety of roles.

None of these positions come under the pledge, although it seems many are paid above the Living Wage.

In July 2014, the University announced that they would be paying all of their direct employees the Living Wage, which was then £7.65 an hour,

from 1 August 2014. This was hailed by student campaigners at the time, including then-CUSU Living Wage Officer Ben Bayley, who said all “who have been involved in the campaign are delighted”. It was also reported in the student and national media, including this newspaper, The Tab, Varsity, and The Telegraph. The University specified at the time that this would affect around 130 workers.

However, TCS subsequently learnt that some TES-employed workers at the ADC Theatre, a department of the University, were being paid less than the promised £7.65. Bar Staff and Box

Office Assistants are currently paid £6.65 an hour, plus 12.07% holiday pay. This comes to £7.45 an hour.

This is 20 pence less than the wage in the widely-praised pledge, and 40 pence less than the current Living Wage of £7.85 an hour.

After inquiries made by TCS, the University was forced to clarify that these employees were employed through TES. According to TES’s website: “Working through TES does not constitute an employment relationship with the University.”

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Comment – Willl you be voting in the next General Election?: p14 Features – Planning your May Week: Fresher Edition: p16 Cartoon – There are two kinds of night out in Cambridge: p20 TV & Film – Binge TV is taking over my life: p22 Sport – Serena Williams: An inspiration?: p30

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

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News 2 Cambridge marks Holocaust Memorial Day Basha Wells-Dion News Reporter Cambridge last week marked the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau by Allied forces in Europe.

Holocaust Memorial Day saw holocaust survivor Eva Clarke address the Cambridge Union Society. Born in Mauthausen concentration camp in April 1945, Eva and her mother are the only surviving members of her family; 15 of her family members were killed in Auschwitz.

Prior to the event, second-year HSPS student Tom Wilson encouraged fellow students to attend, commenting: “[I] have seen her speak before and it stays with you.”

In an event co-organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust, Clarke told the story of her family’s experience living in Nazi-occupied countries across Europe, sharing family photographs as well as providing a harrowing account of her mother’s experience in Theresienstadt, Auschwitz and latterly Mauthausen concentration camps.

A question-and-answer session followed in which Clarke emphasised the importance of this year’s Holocaust

Memorial Day theme, ‘Keeping the memory alive’. She also stressed the importance of looking forward to the future: “If you continue to hate and be bitter, you can’t move on.”

Clarke encouraged Union members to visit concentration camps such as Auschwitz. “Some people just want these places to disintegrate,” she commented, adding, “Everyone should go there once. Once is enough.”

There were also numerous city-wide events, with some being organised by students at the University of Cambridge. Event organiser Rhiannon White commented: “Holocaust Memorial Day is a valuable opportunity to reflect on the horrors and dramatic implications of the Holocaust that persist today ... including the mechanics and the destructive influence of prejudice.”

She added: “It is also used as a point from which to reflect on and apply similar questions to major genocides since the Holocaust, including those in Rwanda, Cambodia and Bosnia, and to pursue practical options for genocide prevention in the future.”

Cambridge City Council hosted an event with 100 participants at the Corn Exchange, featuring numerous concentration camp survivors.

“If you continue to hate and be bitter, you can’t move on”

A sobering reminder

“Sinister plot” to disestablish Church of England

Read welcomes “Green surge” Olly Hudson Deputy News Editor The Cambridge Green Party has this week announced that its membership has risen above 400, four-times the figure this time last year.

Having recently announced that it plans to field candidates in each of the 14 contested wards in this May’s local elections to the City Council, the local Greens are enjoying an unprecedented surge in membership. Gaining 131 new members in January alone, this welcome news for the local Greens follows a recent national swing towards the party, who have seen support rise to a record level of 10% in national opinion polls.

Green Party parliamentary candidate for Cambridge, Rupert Read, noted: “This is an even faster rate of increase than the Green surge nationally”.

Dr Read has himself been the subject of controversy in recent weeks, after The Cambridge Student reported accusations of transphobia during a Twitter exchange.

Students from the University of Cambridge organised an event on Saturday, titled, “Letters: For Greens Against Transmisogyny”, where Green

supporters drafted letters calling for Read’s de-selection as parliamentary candidate. Event co-organisers Zoe Higgins and Jennifer Green branded Read’s comments as “disgusting”, calling on student Green supporters to “Join us in writing as many letters as humanly possible to Green Party HQ, expressing our anger and concern at their candidate’s opinions and asking them to withdraw their support from Rupert Read.”

Cambridge Green Party echoed concerns voiced by party leader Natalie Bennett, though urged caution on calls for Read’s resignation: “It has been important for us in the committee to get to the bottom of what Rupert has said and understand what he really thinks about these issues,” adding: “We did not want to act rashly or without proper discussion within the committee and the membership.”

UKIP local Chairman, Martin Hale envisions a return to multi-party politics, telling TCS: “Currently we have UKIP candidates that will be standing in 50% of the city wards,” adding: “Our branch membership for Cambridge and South East Cambridge has also increased rapidly in the past eight weeks.”

Image: Dorsm365

Olly Hudson Deputy News Editor

“This is an even faster rate of increase than the Green surge nationally”

The Cambridge Union Society has heard that support for the disestablishment of the Church of England is part of a supposed “sinister plot” to launch “insurrection” in the UK. Speaking in opposition to the motion “This House Would Disestablish the Church of England,” Chief Executive of the Conservative Christian Fellowship Colin Bloom suggested that opponents of the established church would “cheerfully strangle the last monarch with the guts of the last bishop”.

The debate, which saw Stephen Fry speaking in opposition to the motion, saw clashes between the Chief Executive of the British Humanist Association, Andrew Copson, who claimed that the established church was “incompatible with an open, free and democratic society” and the Bishop of Leicester, Tim Stevens, who claimed the Church represented “something fundamental about our national character”.

In a surprise move, atheist Fry announced to the chamber, “I love the

Church of England,” arguing that the continued existence of the Church had resulted in the UK becoming “the most secular country in Europe”.

The Reverend Giles Fraser, ex-canon of St Paul’s Cathedral, London voiced concern that the Church of England has found itself “neutered” in its role as the official state church. Arguing that the state ought not to set the terms of religion, he claimed that separation of Church and state was necessary for it to be able to challenge government policy.

Reverend Stevens claimed that we risked becoming a “more atomised, more fragmented,” and a “more individualistic” society without the influence of a strong Church.

In a post-debate tweet, Theo Pigott commented: “Wonderful to hear the iconic Stephen Fry articulating antidisestablishmentarianistically at the Cambridge Union this evening.”

The final result of the debate saw the Ayes claim a decisive victory of 60% to the Noes 20%. The Union’s most popularly attended event of the term so far also saw a 19% swing in favour of the proposition.

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

News 3 Fitzwilliam Museum to house only surviving Michelangelo bronzes Rachel Balmer Deputy News Editor A team of Cambridge art historians have broken ground in the artistic sphere by identifying two ‘lost’ sculptures, thought to be Michelangelo’s work.

The two metre-high bronze sculptures, which for 120 years have remained unattributed, portray two nude men riding on panthers. The project to identify the origin of the sculptures involved an international team working in many different fields.

In a move that will bring Cambridge’s art scene into line with that of many other great European cities, the Fitzwilliam Museum is set to exhibit the two Michelangelo bronzes publicly until August.

The pioneering project began last autumn, when emeritus professor of art history at the University of Cambridge Paul Joannides made links between the sculptures and a drawing by an apprentice of Michelangelo. In one corner of the work, a muscular youth in a similar pose is riding a panther.

Subsequent neutron scans placed the creation of the bronzes to be between the years of 1500 and 1510, around the time when Michelangelo had completed the marble David and before he began painting the ceiling of

Classier Page 3 girls?

Image: Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

the Sistine Chapel. The sculptures have been compared to many of his other works which are similar. A professor from the University of Warwick noted that every detail of the bronzes – down to the six packs and belly buttons – was exemplary of the artist’s style and also drew links to Michelangelo’s nudes on the Sistine Chapel.

The sculptures are known as the Rothschild Bronzes, after their first recorded owner Baron Adolphe de

Rothschild. The bronzes were initially attributed to Michelangelo, but the link was discredited in the late 19th century, as the sculptures are neither signed nor documented by him. There is currently no definitive history of the statues prior to 1878.

The attribution by the Cambridge team is notable because no other Michelangelo bronzes now survive.

A bronze David was lost during the French Revolution and a statue of

Pope Julius II was melted down by the rebellious Bolognese for artillery.

Victoria Avery, keeper of applied arts at the museum, told The Guardian that the project had been like “a Renaissance whodunit”. She went on to speak of her hopes that the findings would be enjoyed by everyone, not just university academics.

Avery added: “I really hope people will engage with this, that they will read the arguments – maybe sit down in a cafe for half an hour with the book – and then come and look at the bronzes and make their own mind up.”

Natalie Bird, a second-year English student, expressed excitement at the findings, commenting: “It’s not often you hear about the Fitz in national news. I’ll definitely make the trip to see these world famous sculptures.”

One anonymous second-year student stated: “This kind of charade merely perpetuates the shallow and selfserving monetisation of art, perpetuated by people with far too much money and no taste. These sculptures may be good but I don’t care if they’re made

by Michelangelo.”

After the recent success of the Silent Partners exhibition, this discovery ensures that this year is set to be another exciting chapter in the musem’s history.

A move that will bring Cambridge’s art scene in line with other European cities

CUSU to provide cheaper sanitary products Shilpita Mathews Deputy News Editor Cambridge University Student Union is contemplating providing sanitary products to students at subsidized rates.

In a post on their blog, CUSU Coordinator Jemma Stewart suggested that CUSU “can sell [tampons] for as little as 9p each, or £1.85 for a box of 20 – with similar savings for sanitary towels too”. Stewart explained: “We have the ability to bulk buy sanitary products at a much lower price than is currently available in a shop and are therefore looking into selling them on for cost-price.”

The high prices of sanitary products are due to the fact that they are classified by the government as a “non-essential, luxury item” and so VAT is enforced at a rate of 5%. Amelia Horgan, CUSU Women’s Campaign Sabbatical Officer explained: “For people who menstruate, tampons, pads and cups are definitely not a luxury we can go without. We also know that Cambridge is a notoriously expensive city, and our student loans

often barely cover our rent.”

Many Student Union shops in other universities address this issue by providing subsidized and even free sanitary products. However, “CUSU doesn’t currently have a proper shop, as with other Student Unions, and we don’t have enough funding to be able to give out sanitary products for free (in the same way that we currently receive funding to give out free sexual health supplies),” explained Stewart.

She added that the next step is to gain students’ opinions. “All we need to do is find a distributor and get information from students about what types of products they want us to sell on.”

Horgan expressed optimism, saying “Hopefully CUSU’s plans for cheap tampons and pads will help reduce the huge financial pressure on students, and send out a clear message that periods shouldn’t be so bloody expensive.”

A survey is going to be conducted soon to gain students’ views on the proposed scheme. Stewart also wrote that they are looking into ways to eventually offer sanitary products to students free of charge.

“Periods shouldn’t be so bloody expensive”

Free sanitary pads for all?

Image: Jack May

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

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News 4

“We hope the University will ... actually start paying the Living Wage to all”

Living Wage campaign banner

Photo: Akshay Karia

Cindies launches church service aimed at students in surprise move Olly Hudson Deputy News Editor Cambridge nightclub, Ballare (Cindies to the initiated) has taken the surprise step of launching Sunday night church services.

Although best known for its regular Tuesday and Wednesday student nights, the nightclub’s latest venture is run by the evangelical Christian group KingsGate Community Church, and will feature live music in addition to providing food and soft drinks.

Designed largely to appeal to students, organisers claim that an average Sunday can attract up to 180 worshippers, with students preferring the late-night, more informal slot, as opposed to the traditional Sunday morning services also run by the church.

Claiming to have outgrown the capacity of their previous venue, the popularity of the services and the young, studentheavy demographic are the factors which have prompted Steve Squirrell, organiser and alumnus of Selwyn College, to seek a more comfortable venue, familiar to

much of the student body.

Speaking to Cambridge News, Squirrell commented: “The timing and style of these services are better suited to the undergraduates who attend.”

Looking to benefit from the widespread popularity of Cindies among the student population, Squirrell added: “It is just a fantastic venue right in the centre of town, with great facilities and known by every student in Cambridge.”

Responding to suggestions that this unorthodox move could have an effect on the image of the club among the non-church-going student population, club manager, Andrew Barney claimed: “The most important thing is that we provide for everyone.” He added: “If a church or any organisation wants to take part in our venue, then we want to make it available.”

Commenting on the news, Cindies regular and first-year HSPS student, Niamh Sauter-Cooke, told The Cambridge Student: “It does go with the unexpected, fun vibe of the establishment”, adding: “The charm of Cindies is a complex and manylayered thing.”

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This is significant as it means temporary workers are technically not directly employed by the University. However, these employees are still ultimately paid by the University of Cambridge.

The Manager of the ADC Theatre Flo Carr confirmed: “There is no requirement to pay the Living Wage to temporary workers.”

In the minutes of the University Council discussion on 12 May 2014, which confirmed the pledge, only directly employed staff were specified.

At no point were TES employees mentioned, although minutes to a Human Resources Committee meeting were referred to. The minutes are still not available online 11 months after the meeting, but the Assistant Director of the Human Resources department has assured TCS that the relevant minutes will be uploaded in the near future.

Not all workers employed through TES are paid less than £7.65; they have pay scales ranging from £7.32 to £15.05 an hour. However, none of these employees are guaranteed £7.65 an hour, unlike those on fixed contracts.

When TCS asked the University to clarify how many of the 600 TES employees are paid over £7.65, a University spokesman said: “The University does not centrally hold figures on temporary workers.

“I can confirm some, but by no

Cambridge MP named parliamentary beer champion Jenny Steinitz News Editor

Organisers claim that an average Sunday can attract up to 180 worshippers

means all, temporary workers do earn below the current living wage.”

In response, CUSU Living Wage Officer Daisy Hughes said: “This demonstrates how difficult it is to try and make institutions change their ways. We hope that the University will act in the spirit of their promise and actually start paying the Living Wage to all.”

When TCS published their initial findings regarding the ADC staff, Chair of Cambridge Cambridge Universities Labour Club Fred Jerrome said: “This demonstrates the need to keep pressuring the university to uphold its social values and keep up the fight for our colleges to also pay the living wage.” After being informed about TES, Jerrome has confirmed that he stands by this statement.

The Living Wage is calculated at the Centre for Research and Social Policy at Loughborough University. The Living Wage campaign in Cambridge has been running since 2007, and is lead by CUSU and CULC. It aims to put pressure on all colleges into paying the Living Wage. Currently, Queens’ College is an accredited Living Wage employer, although some other colleges such as King’s now also pay the Living Wage. It was recently announced that Oxford University will become an accredited Living Wage employer in April.

Julian Huppert, the MP for Cambridge, has been awarded the title of Parliamentary Beer Champion for the second year in a row.

The award is presented by the British Beer and Pub Association and the Society of Independent Brewers to MPs who have undertaken action to support pubs and breweries.

Mr Huppert received his award on the basis of his campaign work on behalf of pub trades and small businesses. This included lobbying the government for a change in the law which would give local authorities the power to prevent the demolition or change of use of pubs without planning permission, and to change legislation in the Small Business Bill to give tenants renting from the large pub companies protection from inflated prices and excessive rents.

Mr Huppert commented: “I am delighted to be named Parliamentary Beer Champion. The pub trade is so important for Britain. It not only provides business opportunities and

jobs across the country but our pubs are an important part of our communities.”

He then added: “The British pub is an integral part of the history of this country, but just in Cambridge alone, we have lost so many good pubs in the last 20 years. I am determined to do everything in my power to slow down this decline in the pub trade. I enjoy a trip to the pub and for many, the British way of life would not be the same without their local.”

Indeed, Mr Huppert is not the only parliamentary candidate who has championed beer. Daniel Zeicher, the Labour Parliamentary Candidate, tweeted about his tour of the Cambridge college bars with the Cambridge Universities Labour Club: “On my grand @CULC tour of #Cambridge college bars, struck by number who keep all bottled beers in fridge! Leffe Brun should surely be kept warm!”

One second-year student commented: “Appearances to the contrary, appreciation of British ales is not a requirement to run for Parliament, though Farage seems to be building his campaign around it.”

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

News 5 Residents complain as new Sainsbury’s set to open on Mill Road Stevie Collister-Hertz News Reporter A new Sainsbury’s Local looks set to open on Mill Road, replacing the existing Mace convenience store.

This comes after years of protests from local residents, who fear that a chain supermarket risks “turning Mill Road into a clone town high street”, according to the Mill Road Society.

Sainsbury’s has recently submitted an alcohol licensing application to Cambridge City Council for the current Mace premises, which is set to close as its owner, Raj Brahmbhatt, has decided to retire.

Sainsbury’s first tried to enter the area in 2011, entering a bid on the lease of Mickey Flynn’s Pool Hall.

Around 4,500 Mill Road area residents protested with the ‘They’re Taking the Mickey’ campaign, arguing that supermarket convenience stores would “threaten and destroy the independent shops that define our community”. Yet despite protests, the change of lease was approved in November 2014, allowing the pool hall to change from a leisure building to a retail facility.

Similarly, The Mill Road Society, a local residents association, plans to protest the latest move.

They hope to get the application to sell

alcohol denied, saying, “Sainsbury’s offer is contingent on their acquiring an alcohol license”. As the area is currently a Cumulative Impact Zone, with a presumption against granting new licenses, the group is optimistic that their campaign will be successful.

They believe that the store is “specifically aimed at a student demographic, a transient population without roots in the community”.

However, students are also calling for greater diversity in shops, as one undergraduate told The Cambridge Student, that although a new Sainsbury’s would provide more “food options, which we desperately need, a different supermarket would be better, as we already have two Sainsbury’s in Cambridge. I’d prefer a budget option.”

Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s says that the new store will create 25 new full and part-time jobs and other local residents have expressed their support for the store as providing a better service than existing options.

Julian Huppert, MP for Cambridge told TCS: “I’m very concerned about another major supermarket chain moving into Mill Road ... [It is] a diverse, vibrant shopping area and its success has a great deal to do with the fact that it supports a wide range of independent well-established traders. But if we

continue to introduce businesses that don’t operate on a level playing field with these small traders we are in danger of forcing them out of business.

That is a real concern because it could change the face of Cambridge and our city would be in danger of becoming

“It could change the face of Cambridge and our city would be in danger of becoming a clone”

Mill Road: home to yet another Sainsbury’s?

Trinity College steps in to save the Union Anna Carruthers News Editor Trinity College has agreed to provide £4.5 million to the renovation of the Cambridge Union Society’s 149 year old building, following the discovery of damage to the foundations.

A 2011 survey of the building revealed a major subsidence issue as well as timber rotting, water damage and a non-functioning sewage system.

The Union is also conscious of the fact that a number of internal hardware elements are due for renewal, including the heating and boiler system.

In order to obtain the necessary funds to resolve these issues, the Union will be leasing part of the site to Trinity College for the sum of £4.5 million. The area in question currently comprises of three dilapidated cottages and a disused squash court.

At the end of Michaelmas Term 2014 the contract was signed by Trinity College and the deal was then confirmed by unanimous vote by the student committee and the Board of Trustees.

According to the Union, Trinity’s bid was successful on the basis that it “represents the best deal available to the Union and, most importantly, to the

interests of its members”.

Union President for Lent 2015, Amy Gregg commented: “We are very excited to be able to take this step forward towards safeguarding the future of our Union’s building. The project will be managed in such a way that the regular operation of the Union will not be significantly affected.”

The released plans are still subject to planning permission but there is an emphasis on conservation, in line with the building’s Grade II listed status.

Current highlights of the design include a student-only bar alongside a public bar and café, a significantly altered central staircase and an expanded foyer. The current area outside the chamber will see the addition of a glass covered walkway overhead and an elevator for disabled visitors. The Park Street Victorian facade will also undergo restoration.

Guest security has clearly been made a priority in light of recent protests surrounding controversial speakers, including the Israeli Ambassador last term. The rear car park will now be enclosed by an 8 foot sliding iron gate with surrounding railings. Also featured on the plans is a VIP entrance, accessible from the secure car park.

a clone of other towns and cities across the country.” He added: “I have campaigned to give our independent traders more protection. I want to see the planning laws changed ... so that we keep diversity on our High Streets.”

Multimillion refurb for Vet School Sriya Varadharajan News Reporter

The Union will be leasing part of the site to Trinity for £4.5 million

Photo: Andrea Vail

Trainee vets in the last three years of their course are set to benefit from a brand new clinical skills centre opened last Wednesday by Lord Sainsbury.

The refurbishment also includes nine new consultation rooms, a new pharmacy and a pathology lab.

Intended to help students with professional and social skills needed during their future career, Dr Clare Allen, currently a senior teaching associate and graduate from the Veterinary School, commented to Cambridge News that the clinical skills centre is “a safe environment for them to take things out, practise them in a safe way, so we can give them better feedback before they ever get anywhere near a live animal”.

This most recent development follows the donation in September of an anaesthesia workstation to the school by the Animal Health Trust. Funding has also been provided by the school’s ‘Camvet’ campaign, which raised the £330,000 necessary to equip the centre with state-of-the-art technology.

Innovations include stuffed toy dogs,

modified with replica glass eyes on which students can conduct practice eye examinations. A rubber mould of a dog’s jaw will be used to practice giving medicine, while suturing is to be practiced on specially designed plastic pads.

Dr Matthew McMillan, senior clinical training scholar in anaesthesia, commented: “From a teaching point of view it gives us somewhere we can take the students without getting in anyone’s way. It has completely changed the way we do things.”

The Cambridge Veterinary School was founded in 1949, and the latest developments follow a drive, begun during the 1990s, to provide highquality and up-to-date facilities for veterinary science students at the University of Cambridge.

Currently students complete three years of studying on the main campus before moving to the skills centre.

It is also hoped that the scope of the school will, in the future, be extended to include veterinary nurses. Jackie Brearley, the School’s academic leader for clinical skills commented: “Ultimately the more it’s used the better it is going to be, and the more it’s going to benefit people.”

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

News 6 College Watch

Jesus

Clare

Wolfson

Caius

Former Jesus College Research Fellow and Murray Edwards alumna, Helen MacDonald has won the 2015 Costa Book Award for her memoir H is for Hawk. The dark tale explores how MacDonald dealt with the grief of losing her beloved father by training a hawk. An experienced falconer and bird lover from childhood, MacDonald became obsessed with goshawks, which have a fearsome reputation. Interwoven with details of her relationship with the hawk is an exploration of T.H. White’s The Goshawk, which follows his similar attempts at hawk training. The judging panel described the memoir as a “unique and beautiful book with a searing emotional honesty, and descriptive language that is unparalleled in modern literature”. Jesus first-year Amelia Oakley said of MacDonald, “She interviewed me. She was fabulous.”

Clare the Tyrannosauraus rex, a memorable highlight from the 2014 Clare May Ball, has now permanently moved to her new home outside the entrance to the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences. Left homeless following the ‘Primordial’ themed Ball, the twometre-high welded sheet metal sculpture was acquired by Dr David Norman, the Sedgwick Museum’s curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology.

Clare was unveiled in her new location by her creator, Doncaster-based blacksmith Ian Curran, with members of the Department of Earth Sciences and representatives of Clare College present. In a bid to avoid vandalism the sculpture has been attached to an underground concrete slab and it will soon be surrounded by plants similar to those present in the lifetime of a T. rex 65 million years ago.

As part of a programme of celebrations to mark Wolfson’s 50th anniversary, 28 works of art by artists from the Royal Academy will be exhibited to the public. The collection, entitled ‘The Royal Academy at Wolfson College’, includes paintings, prints, sculptures and drawings that have been lent to the College by the artists. The exhibition will be the first in a programme of modern and contemporary art events designed to celebrate Wolfson College’s 50th anniversary. Many of the works will not have been exhibited before, and the exhibition will be accompanied by a collection of pottery. Some of the 15 artists with work on display include Ivor Abrahams, Anthony Eyton, Sonia Lawson and Anthony Green, who is curating the exhibition. ‘The Royal Academy at Wolfson’ is open to view until 19 December 2015.

Gonville and Caius Politics Society brought infamy to its name this week by arranging and then cancelling a debate on gay marriage. The motion ‘This College does not condone gay marriage’ attracted widespread condemnation on the event Facebook page, with students accusing the society of making a cynical PR move to kick-start its revival.

Armed with a new logo heavily featuring the word ‘controversy’, the topic of choice is perhaps not the greatest of surprises. The society released a statement on the debate and cancellation, offering an apology to anyone offended. However, they also used the comment to promote their next event, a debate on the motion ‘This House would limit free speech further to avoid offence’, suggesting that this is not the last we shall hear from the Caius Politics Society.

Anna Carruthers

Maddy Airlie

Rachel Balmer

Finn Dameron

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

News 7 City council to cap taxi numbers Tonicha Upham Deputy News Editor Cambridge City Council made the decision last week to place a cap on the number of taxis licensed to operate in Cambridge, for the first time since 2001.

As of 26 January, the maximum number of taxis which will be permitted to operate in the city is 317.

The decision was supported by evidence provided by surveys conducted in November and December 2014, the findings of which demonstrated that demand for taxis did not generally exceed that which could be provided for by hackney carriages currently operating in Cambridge.

However, one undergraduate student expressed concerns about this: “At peak times it can be difficult to get a taxi quickly, the waits can be quite long.” The City Council has not confirmed that this decision will see a reduction in the number of taxis in the city, but hopes that the scheme will bring significant benefits, primarily the reduction of pressure on streets and taxi ranks.

Councillor Jeremy Benstead, Chair of

Licensing Committee, highlighted the importance of the move in this respect, commenting: “Cambridge has seen significant rise in the number of taxis in the last few years, which has led to some problems due to limited taxi rank space in the city.

“By limiting licences we can better tackle existing problems and help provide an even better service for residents and visitors to the city.” This move to reduce the pressure on Cambridge’s streets created by high numbers of vehicles comes in the same week as suggestions that Boris Bikes could be introduced in the city.

The City Council also claimed that the Licensing Committee’s decision to impose a cap on numbers would reduce the hours worked by taxi drivers, contributing to safer streets, and would allow greater cooperation between the council and drivers in order to raise standards.

To become a taxi driver in Cambridge you must have held a full UK or EC driving license for a minimum of one year and pass medical and knowledge tests. This applies to both private hire The taxi row continues... and hackney carriage vehicles.

Image: Connie Ma

The Student Aspiration Society aims to reveal how university shapes your life

Boris Bikes for Cambridge, promises local Tory MP

Jenny Steinitz News Editor

Shilpita Mathews Deputy News Editor

The 30% Club, a group of business leaders concerned with improving gender balance within organisations, has launched the Student Aspiration Survey, with the aim of providing insight into how university experiences, particularly those of women, influence future aspirations.

They are polling students on a wide range of issues including university culture and career support. The survey wants to explore the unique experience of women, by asking questions to assess the extent to which women feel limited before they leave university.

The survey is being piloted at Cambridge, and aims to roll out to other universities later this year. The results of the Cambridge survey will be announced on 9 March at The Cambridge University Delivering Equality Summit, in front of all college presidents and senior members within the University.

The survey is the brainchild of Helena Eccles, an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge. She commented: “There has been a lot of debate about the ‘Cambridge

experience’ of late. Many voices are calling the institution’s accessibility, academic pressure and social inclusivity into question. The Students’ Aspiration Survey is a platform for these voices to be heard by the most influential people in the university. It is exciting, because the Students’ Aspiration Survey works out how our university experience affects our aspirations for life after graduation.

“We are not just interested in the student experience in isolation, but how it shapes our decisions for the future.

The survey will tell us what needs to be fixed at university level, so we can perform to our full potential in whatever we decide to do when we graduate.”

Students can still get involved in the survey until 13 February by visiting the 30percentclub.org website. Participants are able to sign up for a prize draw, with the chance to win a VIP ticket to the Oxford–Cambridge Boat Race following the Newton Women’s race on a launch.

This will be the first women’s Boat Race held on London’s Tideway, alongside the men’s Boat Race. 100 winners will also receive exclusive #LightBlue goodie bags, and 150 will win tickets to the survey wrap-up event.

“Many voices are calling the institution’s academic pressure and social inclusivity into question”

A leaked document obtained by Cambridge News indicates that Boris Bikes may be coming to Cambridge.

Andrew Lansley, Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire, has vowed to lobby large companies and the University of Cambridge to sponsor ‘Cambikes’. He is also hoping to secure a £1 billion City Deal to implement the proposed project.

Proposed bike stations include the Sidgwick Site, Museum Site, Biomedical Campus, the planned North West Cambridge site, West Cambridge, Cambridge Railway Station, Chesterton Station, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, science parks and five park and ride sites. Bike stations will also be on designated cycle routes.

Lansley was quoted by Cambridge News in a letter stating: “The Mayor of London’s scheme has demonstrated that this can be done successfully, and I am confident that a Cambridge bike scheme would work just as well.” He added, “I think this would be key for Cambridge’s economy and would be a fantastic asset for the city.”

Julian Huppert, Cambridge MP, also

backs a bike scheme, having suggested a similar concept in the past. However, he is skeptical of emulating Boris Bikes, saying: “The challenge comes in sorting out the right economies of scale and I am not convinced the model set up in London would work well in Cambridge. But I do think we could agree an arrangement with one of the hire companies to position bikes in many places around the city.” Graham Hughes, Cambridgeshire County Council’s transport chief, was also tentative about Cambikes, saying that although it is an “interesting idea ... clearly there are costs involved in operating such a scheme”.

For some students the potential bike scheme is good news. Xiao Zheng, a first-year student at Gonville and Caius College, commented: “It sounds like a great idea, especially since the Cambike stations will be located at places where lots of students go for lectures and practicals.” However, she expressed skepticism saying, “If students need to use a bike more regularly, they may as well buy a bike that will be more convenient and cheaper than hiring a bike every day”.

With the proposed plans receiving mixed responses, it is yet to be seen if the scheme will materialise.

05 February 2015

the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Dispatches

9

Where money buys freedom, and first and third worlds live side by side Will Amor Dispatches Editor

developing countries, but what of the Second World?

Russia still finds itself in a limbo land of incomplete development: it is home to some of the very richest people on the planet who can all but control global energy prices, and yet tap water is not safe to drink in any Russian city.

The cultural significance 11of Russian ballet troupes such as the 11Mariinsky

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is hard to beat, and yet almost every institution is flagrantly open to bribery and petty criminality.

Moscow is Europe’s largest metropolis with its tallest skyscrapers, and yet even the second city of St Petersburg with some five million inhabitants, has the distinct feel of a provincial town of some decade long since passed.

The First World may consider itself

Russia still finds itself in a limbo land of incomplete development

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the home of freedom, with the US being particularly vocal about its legacy for the rest of the world. However, what is truly more free than a country where the rule of law is inconsistently applied, and any action admissible if you have the funds to ‘encourage’ officials?

In some ways such an argument is facetious, and Russia has been featured a great deal in the Western press in the past few years for its ultra-conservative social legislative agenda, especially where it hurts the LGBT+ community.

The disappearances of several journalists too have raised eyebrows over the consequences of exercising freedom of expression in Russia.

It is crucial details like these which make Russia so much more like a Third World country than a First World one: corruption; an economy based on the exploitation of limited natural resources; and a lack of progressive politics.

That being said, Russian GDP is still huge, and it controls a seat on the UN Security Council and maintains international political influence in key regions such as the Middle East.

The Cold War may have ended, but the Second World persists.

Next to the Orthodox man is an Ethiopian mother with her baby wrapped in a scarf in front of her, and a Palestinian woman in a traditional embroidered long robe. She appears a bit overwhelmed, perhaps she is not accustomed to the pace of city living.

Then you have the foreigners, forever doomed to stick out: even if they have camouflaged their origin, manners will give it away. They will be too patronisingly polite (especially the Americans), and not prompt enough to seize the opportunity for a fervent debate, be it with friends or strangers, about politics or the price of cheese.

In Europe, people on public transport will normally pretend that they don’t exist, hiding behind smartphones or a strategically placed newspaper. Here, on the other hand, passengers often pretend that no one else exists. And this will involve, for example, talking on the phone as if the speaker wanted to be heard on the other end without the telephone, whilst seasoning the words with enthusiastic hand gestures.

It seems that travelling is not necessarily a boring inevitability between activities A and B. For people here, it can simply be a chance to catch up on life or chat to other passengers.

And for me, it’s an animated museum of Jerusalem.

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Science and Research

10

Jar of hearts, Petri dishes of bladders functional structures for use in Stuart Harrison Science & Research Contributor regenerative treatments.

Transplantation has developed in leaps and bounds in the replacement of severely damaged organs. However increased longevity and harmful lifestyles, such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, have caused a dramatic increase in the demand for organs. The transplantation system has reached crisis levels, with only a third of those on the kidney transplant waiting list receiving a transplant between April 2012 and April 2013 in the UK. Recent advances in cell biology have allowed for the culturing of human cell lines in laboratories. This simple culturing has already been very useful and is used regularly to grow skin. But these cells usually lack more complex structure and cannot grow new organs.

Other technologies to grow organs are being developed, using collagen scaffolds as a surface.

But using a 3D printer may be the way forward. 3D printing is the process of using a printer to print out complex structures from various materials, including biologically safe plastics, biochemicals and living cells, to form mechanically and biologically

Amedra Basgaran Science & Research Contributor

The 3D printers can be used to print out structures similar to the collagen scaffold which can then be impregnated with cells. The materials used are medically safe and long-lasting. Last year in the US a two year old girl who was born without a trachea received a plastic windpipe developed by this method and coated with her own stem cells. Unfortunately, she died as a result of lung complications following the surgery despite the trachea being fully functional.

Anthony Atala at Wake Forrest School of Medicine is one of the leading pioneers of these technologies and has used 3D printers which print out cells along with collagen and a coagulant to build up an organ one layer at a time. The Atala lab has been running a clinical trial using the bladders made by this method. In his 2011 TED talk he also showed that a kidney could be printed out in just seven hours! This remarkable speed is very promising allowing rapid treatment for patients who undergo severe organ trauma.

Until recently the organs developed had to be relatively simple because of difficulties in printing capillaries,

7 hours of printing and ta-da! A full kidney Image: nature video, Youtube the small blood vessels which supply mice this treatment can halve the time oxygen to cells. A break through by taken for the skin to heal, and whilst it researchers at Sydney and Harvard is still in pre-clinical stages, it shows a last year showed that it was possible great deal of promise. to print these, suggesting that more Tissue engineering and 3D printing complex and longer-lasting organs of whole organs are showing immense may not be too far away. promise. They clearly have the potential In addition to work on printed to revolutionise modern medicine and organs, researchers at Wake Forrest they will help to address the global School of Medicine are attempting to transplant shortage, combating the develop medical machinery for in situ patient–organ rejection problem which printing, which prints cells directly has plagued the field of transplantation onto the patient to correct damage. In since its inception.

1

2

Depression is an increasingly common disease, affecting one in five adults in the UK today.

However, its biological basis remains far from understood, although a role for the transmitter serotonin has been established. The nature of this involvement was also unclear until an international team of researchers based in America, Canada and here at the University of Cambridge published their findings this week. They claimed that the serotonergic system evolved to regulate energy levels in the brain. As a result, drugs which increase serotonin levels worsen the symptoms of depression in the short term due to disruption of energy regulation. A common example of such a drug is an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor). These SSRIs are known to have a therapeutic delay in terms of treatment. This delay can indeed be explained by the claim that symptom reduction is not achieved by direct effects from the SSRIs, but rather by the brain’s compensatory responses that attempt to restore energy regulation. These findings ultimately shed more light on the biological basis of depression and can lead to the development of more therapeutic targets for this increasingly prevalent disease in the future.

There has been overwhelming evidence to suggest that the world’s oceans are becoming increasingly acidic, but the impact on marine life has been less clear. Researchers, some from the University of Cambridge, have now found evidence to suggest that the population balance in these oceans may indeed be significantly altered. Certain types of marine organisms, collectively known as the ‘biofouling community’, grow in number, while other types can be reduced by up to 80%. Who wins and who loses may come down to the mere existence of a shell. Those with shells, such as tube worms, lose out while those without shells, such as sponges and sea squirts, double or even quadruple in number. After close examination, researchers found that the organic ‘glue’ holding the calcium carbonate crystals together was ‘eaten’ by the acid. As a result, the population balance of some marine ‘pests’ is drastically changed. What’s more, other organisms in the eco system may be impacted, as co-author Elizabeth Harper comments: “These environments are almost like mini-reefs, and if you lose some of that three-dimensional complexity, you reduce the space and opportunities for some types of marine life.”

3D printers can be used to print out structures like the collagen scaffold, and then impregnated with cells

3

Stress during pregnancy is common, but maternal stress can have an impact on the unborn baby. Some of the hormones involved in stress, namely ‘glucocorticoids’ are thought to regulate foetal and adult glucose metabolism. Dr Vaughan at the University of Cambridge investigated one particular glucocorticoid, known as corticosterone. The team found that administration of this hormone reduced the glucose supply to the baby. Dr Vaughan comments on the findings: “The foetuses of the mice with raised levels of the stress hormone tended to be smaller, despite the mother overeating, suggesting that a mother’s stress levels may affect her child’s growth.”

They believe these effects are due to a modification in the activity of certain genes in the placenta, including the gene Redd1. Researchers believe that glucocorticoid levels may determine the specific combination of nutrients received by the foetus and influence the long term metabolic health of the child as a result. But there are ways to combat these potential problems, Professor Fowden, who led the research, adds: “It may be that by changing her diet, a mother can counter the effects of stress hormones on the human placenta.”

Who wins and who loses may come down to the mere existence of a shell

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Editorial 11 Letters to the Editor

‘Carpe career’: An editor’s guide to getting ahead in journalism Louise Ashwell Former Editor-in-Chief

A

s a recent graduate, and an alumna of The Cambridge Student, I was asked to write this week’s editorial. So, for one week only, what follows is a story. I suppose it’s the story of how I’ve come to be writing this at all.

Aged 11 – lispy, precocious, and a bit of a brat – I stand up in front of Class 6E and when Miss Elliot asks me what I want to do when I’m older, I tell my assembled peers that “I want to be a journalitht”.

For me, journalists were the people who came from the local paper and took photos of us on Sports Day. They would always ask for our names so that our mums could keep the cuttings in the kitchen drawer.

The other kids reckon it’s a pretty boring job. They’d much rather be a vet, or if that doesn’t work out, a pop star.

Fast-forward seven years. I’ve gone through big school, and even college.

With boys and Bebo on my brain, that journo dream was a distant memory.

But, in my Freshers’ Week, dazed, confused, and a little bit overwhelmed, I turn up to a squash event run by a student newspaper called The Cambridge Student. This is a good thing. I write some articles.

In Lent, I start sub-editing. It’s fun.

I don’t really know what I’m doing, but when I turn up at the office around 11 p.m. on a Wednesday, it’s fast-paced and frenetic. I realise that I want in on the excitement.

It was in this mindset of uninformed eagerness that I turned up to what I

believe was, in my first year, called the ‘Careers in Creative Industries’ event.

As you always do, I wandered around the fair pretty aimlessly, stealing pens and taking a few leaflets which ended up staying on my shelf for the best part of a year. I’m glad I went though – at the event I ended up speaking to a handful of people who had real media jobs.

Through asking them in person how they got to be behind that trestle table, I learnt something no webpage could teach me: I needed to get some experience pretending to be an actual journalist to work out whether I’d like it or not.

Whether it’s a lingering feeling that you think you’d like to write, or knowing you’re never happier than when you’re watching movies, these events force you to do something instructive. And that’s admitting to yourself that you really would like to try and make a living in this particular career.

You can’t move for these careers fairs in Cambridge, I know. But they disappear once you leave. So as a grumpy grad, albeit one who is gainfully employed, I’m telling you they could be handy and you should go while you still can.

Get on it. And while you’re there, can you nab some pens for me?

I learnt that I needed to get some experience pretending to be an actual journalist

The ‘Careers in Creative Industries’ event takes place in the Large Examination Hall from 4 p.m. on Wednesday 11 February.

It will be attended by media organisations including The Press Association, Bloomberg, The National Council for the Training of Journalists, and Cambridge University Press.

Dear Editor

Dear Editor

Your editorial (‘Spiderman vs freedom of speech’, p11, Vol. 16 Lent Issue 3) makes the point that we should be responsible platform-setters.

The trouble is that your argument is inexplicably used in the context of a discussion about freedom of speech that has little to do with responsible platform-setting.

The problem with the abortion debate in Oxford or Nigel Farage’s speech in Cambridge is that a society in the case of the former and a department in the case of the latter were denied the right to exercise a platform at all.

300 students causing the cancellation of a debate by threatening to turn up with ‘oh-so disruptive instruments’ is not a call to responsible platformsetting but a usurpation of platformsetting. If you disagree with someone, you should voice your opinion but not use underhand tactics to shut down debate.

I could hark back to an 18th century philosopher but I’ll quote someone a little more recent. Ann Furedi, who runs the largest chain of abortion providers in the UK, says: “You don’t have to be a Cambridge intellectual to understand why debate and discussion should be encouraged. When you try to silence someone, you simply tell the world that you fear what they might say.”

If, as your contributor Rory Weal suggests (‘Leftwing supporters dress better than their rightwing opponents’, p12, Vol. 16 Lent Issue 3), we should all be taking fashion inspiration from icons of the Left such as ‘Che Guavara’ [sic], am I to assume I can look forward to a special feature on drab, ill-fitting olive jumpsuits in your fashion pages next week? [Maddy? – Ed.] Yours sincerely, Tom Watson Clare College, Cambridge Proud owner of multiple pairs of chinos

Corrections The Editor would like to clarify any confusion that may have arisen from the labelling of our first two issues of this term as being of Volume 17. The issues are actually part of Volume 16, as are all issues of The Cambridge Student printed between October 2014 and June 2015.

In last week’s ‘College Watch’, the Head Porter of Gonville & Caius College, Russ Holmes, was billed as ‘Senior Porter’. To prevent spiralling confusion, he is in fact Head Porter.

Yours,

We apologise to News Editor Jenny Steinitz for the misattribution of a Xavier Bisits cat on page 11 of Issue Two in our Trinity College, Cambridge ‘Creature feature’. The predominantly white cat pictured belongs to Char Like what we’re doing? Hate what Furniss-Roe, Chief Sub-Editor. The we’re doing? Let us know by getting correction on the topic printed in last in touch at editor@tcs.cam.ac.uk week’s issue, however, still stands.

Editorial Team: Lent Term 2015 Editor-in-Chief

Jack May

Associate Editors

Colm Murphy Sam Rhodes Freya Sanders

News Editors Deputy News

Science & Research Editor

Shreya Kulkarni

Comment Editors

Albi Stanley Rebecca Moore Brontë Philips William Hewstone

Jenny Steinitz Anna Carruthers Interviews Editor Rachel Balmer Shilpita Mathews Features Editors Jack Lewy Tonicha Upham Olly Hudson Catherine Maguire Columns Editor

Grace Murray

Social Media Managers

Yema Stowell Ru Merritt

Fashion Editor

Maddy Airlie

Books Editor

Alice Mottram

Chief Sub Editors

Megan Proops Char Furniss-Roe

Lifestyle Editors

Jessy Ahluwalia Lucy Meekley

Sub Editors

Stevie CollisterHertz

Food & Drink Editor

Julia Stanyard

Directors

Sport Editor

Charles Martland Flora McFarlane

Ciara Berry Jemma Stewart Siu Hong Yu Hazel Shearing

TCS Top Dogs Design Editor

Daisy Schofield

Production Editor

Thomas Saunders

Char Furniss-Roe Colm Murphy Maddy Airlie Megan Proops Carolyn May

Julius Haswell Amelia Oakley Elsa Maishman Chase Smith Sian Avery

Investigation Editor Ellie Hayward

Theatre Editor

Harry Parker

Dispatches Editor

Technology Editor

Sam Raby

Will Amor

TV & Film Editor

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Comment 12 Rethinking our language: The use of the term ‘coloured’ is never justified Lola Olufemi & Morwan Osman Comment Contributors

A

fter Benedict Cumberbatch’s use of the term ‘coloured’, there have been a number of discussions about whether the term should be considered offensive and whether people of colour are justified in their outrage. A slew of articles have claimed that political correctness has finally gone mad, while others have rightfully criticised the actor for using such an outdated and contentious term.

I must admit that my initial reaction

was ‘Oh come on, Benedict. I expect more from you.’ Given the fact that he made the faux-pas while laying bare the discrimination that he had seen black actors experience in Britain, it’s difficult to hold it against him. And he did ultimately apologise, responding to the outrage by referring to himself as an ‘idiot’. But whatever his intention in using the word – if he used it not knowing its history or simply out of ignorance – it has caused quite a stir.

It is worth providing a history of the word. ‘Coloured’ was a term used primarily in America in relation to African-Americans alongside words

‘Coloured’ bears the history of years of segregation

like ‘negro’. Whilst these terms had been used by American blacks in the past to describe themselves, they were co-opted into the discourse of oppression by the Jim Crow apartheid system. Much like how a yellow Star of David was used to oppress Jews, the word ‘coloured’ became a sign of oppression in America. It’s worth noting, however, that the term ‘coloured’ is still used in countries like South Africa and Zambia to refer to specific ethnic groups and is not considered derogatory.

The term ‘coloured’ has now largely been replaced with ‘black’, but I find that white people are sometimes hesitant to use the word ‘black’ when describing someone’s physical appearance. This is odd to me because it’s not a swear word. I think this hesitance indicates wider opinions about the perceived negative connotations surrounding the word ‘black’; some might view ‘coloured’ as the more favourable option.

I’m sure that any reasonable person can understand why black people would have an issue with someone referring to them using language from the Deep South in the 1950s. We’ve moved beyond that. Whatever your views on the term are, regardless of your colour, there is a general consensus that we we allow oppressed groups to self-define.

The outrage from said groups over Image: shawn wilson the term ‘coloured’ suggests that they

I am a person of colour and a person first and foremost

find it offensive and outdated. The job of an ally, or indeed the duty of mainstream media, is to listen and respond accordingly.

Where the terms ‘coloured’ and ‘person of colour’ differ is that ‘coloured’ relates specifically to black people, while ‘people of colour’ refers to all non-white people. The term ‘person of colour’ is favoured above other such as ‘non-whites’, or in some cases ‘minorities’, because of the subjugation implicit in those phrases.

When we examine language we can’t ignore power dynamics: ‘coloured’ was appropriated by white people to refer to black people. It was used as a classification, the maintaing of power through language.

In referring to ourselves as people of colour, we attempt to reclaim our identities by framing the subject of the sentence positively. I am not a ‘coloured person’. I am a person of colour and a person first: my race doesn’t define me.

Many might find this petty but the way we use language matters, especially in conversations which involve oppressed groups.

Just because you might be friends with or know one black person who does not mind being called coloured or thinks this whole debate is silly, this does not invalidate the criticism levelled at Cumberbatch by people of colour.

I’m struggling

and I don’t know

WHERE to turn.

Drop in, call, or email…

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Comment 13 We should not have lowered the flag for King Abdullah Annabell Mitchell Gears Comment Contributor

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“Climate change is too big a threat to ignore. We need action now.”

Fracking and Climate Change: Cambridge, we have a problem Julian Huppert MP for Cambridge

C

limate change is the most dangerous threat facing the world today. The message from scientists could hardly be starker – greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced massively, or else generations ahead will pay the price for poor decisions made by the powerful today. Concerted action is needed and it’s needed now.

One key issue in the UK debate right now is the role of fracking – extracting gas from rock. Some say it will help us reduce emissions. I think they’re wrong. True, fracking is better than coal. But it’s far worse than renewables and other low-carbon energy sources which is what we need to be using.

There’s also lots of uncertainty about the effects of fracking: How would it impact the local environment?

How much water would it use up?

Would it inadvertently squeeze out the renewable energy sector?

Before we know the answers, we shouldn’t be rushing to a new form of energy extraction.

Last week I led a group of MPs in Parliament to oppose legislation to permit fracking. I fought tooth and nail to stop it happening.

One amendment I put forward proposed fracking should not be allowed to happen unless the

Committee on Climate Change (CCC), a group of experts most of us trust, say it would reduce emissions.

I don’t think it would, but I want the experts to have the final say.

I did manage to force Ministers to give a key concession saying fracking would only be allowed if either it does reduce carbon emissions or the Energy Secretary at the time, whoever that may be, produces a written statement explaining to the House why she or he is allowing fracking to go ahead despite the consequences. It’s an important win, but doesn’t go as far as I’d wanted.

What is deeply frustrating is we could have gone much further and got much better results. But Labour, who have previously nodded to climate change, showed no commitment when it came down to it.

They abstained on a key amendment I put forward which would have forced a moratorium on fracking – and so I lost that fight.

Climate change is too big a threat to ignore. We need action now. As the MP for Cambridge, I have consistently fought for our environment.

In the last five years, we’ve more than doubled the amount of energy coming from renewables, created the world’s first green investment bank and insulated millions of homes.

That is a great achievement, but we need to do more – we cannot delay.

here are those who say that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who passed away last month, was a reformer who valued women. “I believe strongly in the rights of women … my mother is a woman, my sister is a woman, my daughter is a woman, my wife is a woman” he was quoted as saying.

These are the same people who no doubt believe that the British government was right to lower the flag over Whitehall as a mark of respect to the late ruler. They may also believe that it was right for Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace to follow suit.

They may even believe that this is the attitude which best represents Britain: appeasement and ignorance of ugly truths in the name of trade partnerships and oil interests.

Photo: CECARUN But is this really the Britain that we want to show the world? A YouGov poll would suggest not – nearly half the British public answered ‘no’ when asked whether we should have lowered the flag, with only 29% agreeing with the move.

Britain is a country which prides itself on diversity and religious freedom, with a number of different religions represented in the most recent census.

In the last Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, follows five years, Wahhabism, a form of Islam based on a very strict interpretation of sharia law. we’ve more This permeates every element of than doubled daily life in Saudi Arabia, and is the amount upheld by religious police who use of energy stoning, execution and public lashes as coming from punishment for those who disobey.

You could be forgiven for thinking renewables it ironic that Westminster Abbey honoured King Abdullah with a lowered flag, given he was representative of a country where possession of a Bible is illegal and conversion to Christianity punishable by death.

Freedom of speech and commitment

The former King of Saudi Arabia

to human rights are also a key part of British identity. The same cannot be said for Saudi Arabia; a mere couple of weeks before King Abdullah passed away, Raif Badawi received his first instalment of 1,000 lashes for criticism of the regime. Some people might label criticism of Saudi Arabia as orientalist, a typical Western approach.

However, it is interesting to note that whilst the execution of hostages at the hands of ISIS has been surrounded by media furore, far less coverage has been given to the 87 people executed in Saudi Arabia last year alone.

But perhaps the most serious abuses of human rights relate to the women of Saudi Arabia. Of course, gender equality is by no means perfect here in the UK. But Saudi Arabia ranks 10thworst in the world with respect to its treatment of women.

They are prohibited from driving, from leaving the house without a male guardian, from having a bank account without permission from a male relative and from trying on clothes whilst shopping.

King Abdullah was not only a representative of this repressive regime but also perpetuated it himself – his own daughters went on camera to Channel 4 and revealed that their father has imprisoned them within their house for the last 10 years.

Of course, lowering the flag is merely following protocol, as the government pointed out last week. Saudi Arabia is a key trade partner with the UK and an ally in the region. But this should not be enough.

Saudi Arabia does not reflect any of the most important elements of the British identity – neither rights for women, freedom of speech nor religious diversity.

Britain needs to be clear about its opinion on Saudi Arabia. Not lowering the flag would have been a chance to show the incoming king that change needs to happen.

Photo: RT

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Comment 14

Yes

William Hewstone Comment Editor

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his May I will be putting my mark on a ballot paper. It never crossed my mind that I would not, whether out of laziness or lack of incentive. Voting is an absolutely crucial part of citizenship in democracies, one of the few times (apart from the odd referendum) when we participate directly in politics as a nation. Voting decides the national political outcome, but it also shows your personal political preference. You never want to sequester yourself against involvement with either of those concepts. Their importance to your personal bubble is increasingly apparent, and I urge everyone to vote and to express a preference for politics in the next five years.

Voter apathy among the current youth is perhaps more shocking as we are a generation which has been profoundly affected by politics and elections. An unrepresentative government formed off the back of an election in which most young people didn’t vote decided

unilaterally to increase tuition fees and re-shape secondary education. At the last election, one might have posed the argument that there was a limited cabal of viable parties, none of which represented the voter’s beliefs. This time, with new expanded tv debates including a plethora of smaller parties, voters are faced with a rainbow of colours to choose from. Political leaders have been given a unique chance this election cycle, and will do pretty much anything for your vote, so even if it seems idealistic, there is probably at least one party offering it to you.

Our generation is not only affected by high-level partisan politics, but increasingly aware of how politics relates to our personal lives. From #EverydaySexism to the legalisation of gay marriage, most of us now have at least one issue to motivate ourselves to vote. Read party promises; think of how your loved ones or friends would be affected by one or other of the parties winning the election. Politics has always been a business, but we need to make it personal. Your life is yours to live, not to be proscribed or legislated upon by some other group in society.

What is most shocking about this election season is the number of people

Most of us have at least one issue to motivate ourselves to vote

calling for citizens to abandon elections, and show politicians how little they care by shunning their blandishments.

Russell Brand is perhaps the most famous of the anti-voting crowd, and uses exactly that argument. There is nothing wrong with disagreeing with a political system, and indeed I share many of the concerns of the Brandites.

I, however, believe and know that the way to fix them is not by inaction. Not voting as an ‘act of protest’ is no better than total apathy, because there is no way to measure the difference between the lazy and the disgusted. Even if you hate politics, you can and should still

participate – spoil your ballot paper.

Deface it, select all of the parties, whatever you choose. Your opinion will be registered in the official count as spoiled. What better way to show that you disagree with the very system of election and government?

For those of us with political preferences, a vote is an expression of support and aspiration. For those with none, it is a reminder to political leaders that they still have work to do.

Expressing it might well be the most important thing you do with 2015.

Don’t miss out on the chance. Go to gov.uk/register-to-vote to find out more.

Don’t let those microphone-coated words fool you...

Photo: Eva Rinaldi

Will you be voting in the next General Election?

Not sure they would be voting for this lot either...

No

Brontë Philips Comment Editor

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s a woman, as a women’s officer in a women’s college, not just as a citizen of this country but as a feminist, I have the duty to express my views, champion Britain’s democratic processes and register my vote. It is a duty felt by everyone, not least by oppressed groups and minorities, but through the common

Photo: Recuerdos de Pandora

tropes of railings and horse rallies, it is most keenly women who are reminded.

To vote is a sign of appreciation for those who campaigned tirelessly for me to be able approach the ballot box. I do not by any means intend to disregard the decades of struggle for suffrage, but I won’t be voting in the election if this is all I’m being offered.

The last election was untarred with 2015’s cynicism and crippling distrust. The rise of Nick Clegg was watched by the soon-to-be student generation with great enthusiasm: promises to resist the introduction of tuition fees proudly championed by a multicultural, Euro-loving and

We are facing a political wasteland

seemingly less austere Lib Dem leader offered a genuine alternative to Boredon Brown and the Conservative party.

The gladiatorial-style TV debate even seemed to make politics and democracy more accessible.

But we didn’t get what we voted for.

The subsequent betrayal, followed by further expenses scandals, Plebgate, the jollies of Liam Fox and several games of Candy Crush, fundamentally destroyed any semblance of trust we may have had in those running our country. Equally, the front-page glories exposed the extent of the gulf between politicians and the people they supposedly stand for. We drew away at the last minute from a proportional voting system which might have actually represented us, politicians advising us that it was all too big and grown up for the populace to understand.

Now, instead of seeking out a party which we might mostly believe in, we must make the difficult decision between who we think would be good and who actually has a chance of getting voted into Parliament.

There is nothing out there in what has crossed the borders of ‘two party politics’, becoming instead a political wasteland. Despite a formal apology, the hurt in both heart and wallet cuts too deep for the student to ever consider Clegg again, the Conservatives promise to offer more of what we’ve already got

and Labour offers exactly the opposite, regardless of whether it makes good policy or not. My vote was, by default over choice, assigned to the Greens, until the recent Twitter scandal; I am not inclined to vote for a transphobe, and whilst much of the country may be won over by Farage’s poorly concealed fascism, I for one am not. It is unrealistic to expect the general public to separate the parties and their ideals from the people who represent them.

And regardless of which party we vote for, there are few moderate parties out there which will have the capacity to alter the status quo which genuinely matters. Policies on education are, as ever, last on the agenda, Labour deciding only last week to propose capping tuition fees at £9,000.

Women are likewise patronised by everyone other than the Greens, with Cameron promoting random women to random positions to conceal the Conservative’s tragic lack of diversity and Miliband even introducing a womanifesto, simple policies designed just for women. Who is it that is being represented here?

In theory, voting is the important benchmark in sustaining public representation in politics, but we have to be given something to vote for. Until there is genuine choice, there is no genuine democracy.

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Interviews

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Cambridge’s Boat Club President Alex Leichter on beating Oxford in the race Julius Haswell Interviews Editor

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e only have to wait for a little over two months until the annual Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race on the Tideway. The crews for each blue and reserve boat are being very carefully selected, and the training regimes are now starting to get tougher and tougher for the rowers in each squad. But in his busy schedule, the president of CUBC, Alexander Leichter, was able to meet me to tell me just how hard it is to be a rowing blue.

I started by asking him how he started rowing: “I started rowing about 10 years ago now. I happened to be recruited at a fast food restaurant in Austria. I was just standing in line in a lunch break, and I was a big guy at 15 already, and somebody asked me if I’ve ever tried rowing. I said no. He said, ‘Do you want to try?’ I said yes. I got immediately hooked on the sport.”

The rowing career of this Austrian progressed very quickly too: “It didn’t take me long to get good at rowing. Two years after that I found myself at the junior world championships in Beijing.

My quad was one of the favourites to win. We didn’t medal in the end but it still all went very quickly.”

Cambridge ahead of Oxford. Classic

Photo: Rud Glazn

Rowing blues have notoriously harder weeks than even fresher natscis (yes, hard to believe I know), and Alex is no different: “We train about 13 times a week, and so it’s difficult to organise everything around the rowing training.

But then again we train early in the morning anyway, so it’s not too tough to fit in morning classes. But then we spend most of our afternoons in our

boat house in Ely from about 1:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. But yeah it’s usually a 5:30a.m. wake-up.

“A lot of time goes into rowing, and although that’s very hard, the recovery time is just as important for us as the rowing. We’re very meticulous about what we eat, so we have a nutritionist advising our diets. We also get a lot of supplements, so in that aspect we are

very detailed in everything. We even have to record our sleep times, to make sure everyone is recovering enough.”

“So no Sunday Life?” I ask him.

“Very rarely, you’ll see us there from time to time, but only if it’s after a race and we have a day off the next day.”

I went on to ask him what the perfect rower is like: “He obviously needs to be very fit and strong, but also skill to know how to move a boat.

“There’s no consensus on the perfect technique, but it is evident that some people can move a boat far better than others. That’s at least what makes a good athlete.

“But what makes a good rower is being very diligent, organised and very meticulous about all the little things that makes the big difference, i.e. recovery and nutrition.”

The real question that I wanted to ask, having been a fan of the Boat Race for a long time, was whether Cambridge can win this year: “I think we have a good shot this year. There’s no doubt Oxford will put out a fast boat again. They have one big name, Constantine Louloudis, but they’ve had Matthew Pinsent as well in the early nineties, and they were meant to win that year, but Oxford lost.

“So one big name is a good asset to have because it provides the team with a lot of guidance, but I don’t think that one good rower makes a good eight.”

One good rower doesn’t always make a good eight

“Strong Labour values” and better education: Tristram Hunt in Cambridge Luke Warner Interviews Contributor

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ensure vocational qualifications are taken seriously by employers, Hunt outlined his proposal of significantly increasing funding for apprenticeships to prevent them becoming a source of cheap labour for employers. Ending the “culture of failure in comprehensive education” is his main priority after May and ensuring the necessary funding, Hunt argues, is key to achieving that.

Part of this overhaul would also involve delegating more powers to local authorities to support Labour’s wider ambition of devolution, and tackle the growing levels of attainment inequality.

Hunt was quick to mention when asked about grammar schools that his policy is “the same as has been for 20 years” to support those already open and oppose further expansion.

Determined to stick to his brief, Hunt avoided explaining Labour’s rumoured reduction in tuition fees (since confirmed) and his private school policy, batting away several questions on the topic so as to “not tread on any toes”; announcements, he assures us, will come throughout February.

One thing he did make clear, however, was his desire to prevent a

n a wet Saturday morning, the Cambridge Universities Labour Club (CULC) came out in force alongside activists from across the country to talk to voters about their concerns.

With not long until what Labour touts as the most important decision in a generation, and nobody able to call which way polling day will go, Shadow Cabinet ministers have been traversing the nation to drum up support. Tristram Hunt, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, joined around 70 canvassers to discuss party policy next election, The Trinity alumnus and former King’s fellow was enthusiastic to talk about Labour’s positive plan for education.

Emphasising a commitment to “highquality, high-paying” apprenticeships and fixing a system where 50% are written off at age 11, Hunt’s ambitious vision is one of a skilled workforce with multiple routes to success and the intention to combat the culture of “working harder and harder and standing still”. When asked how exactly Labour would improve education and Tristram Hunt speaking at a 2012 conference

“cap on ambition”, either by lowering university numbers or allowing young people to be written off as, he claims, is currently endemic.

The “cost-of-living crisis” – a phrase I want to end now verging on a cliché – is a serious the culture issue raised by Cambridge residents of failure when Hunt talks on the doorstep and he in state believes this debate will be instrumental in determining the outcome of the education General Election.

Similarly, Daniel Zeichner, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Cambridge, and a King’s alumnus, echoed Hunt’s sentiments, stating that soaring house prices are central to Cambridge’s inequality. Showing “strong Labour values”, as Hunt claimed, Zeichner declared support for combating the increase in property prices by guaranteeing that 50% of all homes will go to first-time buyers.

It was not long until Hunt and Zeichner were rushed off to talk to residents after the obligatory photo-op.

Labour’s vision is of improving standards nationwide. If elected, the former historian is eager to revolutionise education and to combat a deeply divisive system in desperate need of a Photo: CentreforCities major rethink.

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Features 16 Crossing the bridge: Freedom from life in Cambridge reunited with your home friends means visiting other unis is a great shout, but be warned: their comparative workload here comes a point in every will crush every ounce of spirit you term when it all becomes a bit once had, and the trip may make you much. You’re bored with people reconsider your life choices. complaining about their work, you can’t stop complaining about your Keeping Local own work and the prospect of another Cheaper and quicker than a five hour swap is making you feel nauseous. train journey to Durham (£100?

It is at this moment that you consider Really??), all around Cambridge are the unthinkable – taking a break day trips, from cycling to Granchester from Cambridge (I don’t know if the to visiting the Cambridge Botanic scientists can actually do this, but we’ll Garden. There are many ways to escape run with it). the strained silence of the UL without having to lose half your week, and even Home London is just 45 minutes away by The first port of call for many, home has train. the enticing call of free food, familiarity, If all else fails, and you find yourself and a mattress more than 2 inches thick. unable to spare the time to escape It’s the perfect opportunity for your fully, you can always try and get some parents to baby you while you recover freedom within Cambridge; a trip to from your latest essay crisis. Plus you Girton, touring the endless number of get to see your pets, which is a bonus museums in Cambridge or a day-long in anyone’s book. However, be wary of nap are all ways to zone out and deextended stays, which will either drive stress. you and your parents insane, or else At the end of it all, returning to reality make you remember how hard living can be an unpleasant bump back down away is; two nights max. to Earth, but equally unnerving can be the dreaded ‘fomo’ and niggling Visiting Friends thought that maybe you should probably For the social butterflies among you, be doing that essay after all; just try treading the floorboards of Fez gets a not to time your break in the middle bit tiresome, and the allure of visiting of week five, or the de-stressing you friends in Birmingham or London is worked to achieve may have all been obvious. Far superior nightlife while for nothing…

Abigail Smith Features Contributor

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The inter-essay getaway Sammy Love Features Contributor

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irstly, let’s establish that freetime at Cambridge doesn’t actually exist, as contrary to popular belief even historians like myself always have work we could be getting on with.

However, after a gruelling week of pouring over thousands of summaries to write a ground-breakingly mediocre essay, I think we’d all agree that that period between essays can – nay, should – be taken as a well-deserved break.

I spend the whole week extensively planning how I’ll spend this time, to ensure maximum fun will be had. After dropping my essay off I’ll skip back to my room, eager to get started with the first item on the agenda – a nap. But as I walk through the door, I’m halted in my tracks by the sight of my laundry bag.

A mental adjustment of the timetable is made; if I skip out skyping some friends I can do laundry and still have Up, up, up and away, not more essays!

Freedom From...

time to paint my nails and have a nap before supervision. Excellent. Crisis averted. Or so I think…

Every week sees the same process of lugging load after load to the laundry room, followed by another journey because I forgot washing powder.

Followed by another journey because I forgot money; by this point I’ve done more walking than your average Girtonian. I then realise I don’t have any 20ps. Our tumble driers only take 20ps, and as such, obtaining this denomination has somewhat become the bane of my life. It usually means that midway through laundry I find myself having to make a trip to Sainsburys for the sole purpose of hoping to get a 20p.

A lot of faffing later, laundry is finally done. Yet this is no cause for celebration as all in all the process has taken up the entirety of my well earned break.

Sadly it seems that my inter-essay freedom is forever set to be monopolised by those mundane chores which come part and parcel of living alone.

In spite of it all I still, perhaps too optimistically, live in hope that one day my plans for a post-deadline nap will Image: Nicholas Raymond be realised.

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Features 17 Discarding the ‘lesbian uniform’: LGBT freedom in Cambridge Alice Mottram Features Contributor

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ut which is the man in your relationship? Which of the two of you is the man, which is the woman? Those who ask me this question fundamentally misunderstand lesbianism, because the answer is really very simple. As neither chopstick represents the fork nor the knife, neither woman represents the man.

The confusion, I think, stems from a perpetuation of stereotypes which divide lesbians into two categories: the butch and the femme. Apparently butch lesbians all have buzz-cuts, hate men and love sports. If you’re not a dyke you’re a lipstick lesbian, a moniker which holds patriarchal connotations that you’re ‘too pretty to be a real lesbian’, and simply haven’t found the right man. And yet, not unsurprisingly, when I look in the mirror I just see me. I see no dyke, no femme, just Alice.

These binaries are the result of our hetero-normative society, which attempts to impose the model of malefemale relationships onto those which do not conform. Yet, there are some who actively conform to these stereotypes, perhaps as a means of feeling more included within the perceived community. People have in the past Image: Alex Brooks Shuttleworth assumed that I chose to cut my hair short

because then ‘it would be obvious I was a lesbian’, but this is misguided; my reasons had more to do with aesthetics than sexual orientation. Such forced conformity to pre-conceived ideas of what it means to be a lesbian, or of any minority group, denies people the right to be themselves.

This supposed conformity to the ‘lesbian uniform’ was perhaps helpful in the past, when lesbians and the wider LGBT+ community had little or no visibility and a shared identity helped to alleviate this.

However, there is now more visibility for LGBT+ people than ever before, making the desire to conform to stereotypes no longer necessary. You are free to be yourself, and in doing so shape a new identity for LGBT+ people: that we’re not stereotypes, but humans.

Image: Faungg

Staying in touch: A letter a day keeps the parents away Meggie Fairclough Features Contributor

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oming to University, I thought I would keep in contact with my family back home with all things ‘techy’. Being a general technophobe, I studied the insides out of Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp and Snapchat and then gave my parents intensive crash courses in how to use them, so we could all be synced and some modern type of family. Now nearly halfway through my second term, it just hasn’t worked out that way. Instead, I have gone down a very different route: I have written letters.

There is something special about written words – something in the way that you can play with them on the page.

At University, because we use them so often for essays and notes, I have found that many people have forgotten that words can be made so much more significant. They aren’t just there to write about Darwin’s theory of evolution or the life cycle of a flower.

Writing letters makes words more meaningful. When writing to my parents, I try to be poetic, creative and to capture a moment in time. Even if my parents get the letter a week later, I know that that moment will still be on the paper instead of lost in conversation. Ink has a way to express your deepest thoughts in a way that typing cannot.

I somehow feel that through my inky words, my parents are literally seeing and holding me, with only a paper-thin barrier between us. Even though they cannot physically touch me, a computer or phone screen seems like a much greater distance than a letter.

There are probably selfish reasons I write home too; I love getting replies.

The postman makes me more excited than Santa Claus ever did, and seeing the unmistakable piece of paper in my pigeon hole gives me enough motivation to get through the day. The letter needn’t say anything important per se, but it’s just that age old saying that it’s the thought that counts, and the fact that my parents took the time to respond to my

There is something so special about the written word

Letters are the best way to keep in touch page of scribblings.

Call me old-fashioned, but I just can’t help but love the wonder of it all. People say a picture is a thousand words, but I would disagree. Words express passion

Image: Annilove and passion is powerful, more powerful than anything else. So, pick up a pen and write home to your parents. We use so many words in the day, spare a few and make them special.

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Features 18 All Experiences Passive aggression: A guide to being (politely) snide Amelia Oakley Matter Features Editor Chris Page Columnist

3. Have you tried... not sending death threats?

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his week, I’m going to take a brief pause from talking about welfare in general to talk about my own. More specifically, about all the death threats I’ve been getting. Yes, death threats. It’s sad that I have to write that. I’m 24 years old, and I’ve had death threats.

Last year, I was the victim of a sustained campaign of online abuse.

I received over 50 anonymous threats of death and sexual violence by email before receiving hundreds of text messages telling me I should kill myself. Rather ruined my Masters year, to be honest.

Recently, I wrote a piece for Varsity, calling out Germaine Greer for her hateful statements about trans people.

Some people took exception to my article. Then the death threats started to arrive by email. The first was comparatively conservative. I should “educate myself” and then “burn in hell”. As an ex-Catholic, that’s really just a summary of phone calls home.

It got worse. I was branded a Men’s Rights Activist and told I should be violently raped and mutilated.

My sense of déjà vu didn’t improve after a chat with the authorities. As with my last experience of reporting harassment, despite showing proof of threats, I was treated as a nuisance. It was suggested to me that I should not write things online if people were going to threaten my life; perhaps instead people who disagreed shouldn’t put me in fear of violence. Apparently that’s now a radical new idea. As I write this column, I’ve just deleted my Twitter account. I made the mistake of trying to engage with some of the trolls, and, lo and behold, the death and rape threats commenced in that medium too.

I know for a fact I’m not the only the one who’s faced online abuse after expressing an unpopular opinion.

Maybe it’s a comment on a news article, a Facebook post, a Tweet or perhaps someone has gone so far as to send you a threatening email. The only thing I can say is: self-care is an important and valuable act. It’s frightening to feel like the Internet is shrieking hate at you. But if I could draw something positive from my experience of online harassment, it would be this: look after yourself. You don’t have to pretend everything is ok. Don’t let the bastards grind you down.

A full version of the article can be found online.

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e all have those moments, or more importantly those people, who drive us up the wall, who ruffle our feathers, who make our blood boil, and generally exercise our euphemisms for exasperation.

But let’s face it, picking a physical fight, or starting a shouting match require levels of energy that most of us just don’t have. That would be just far too … well, active. Being able to stand your ground and make your (obviously superior) point whilst snuggled up under your duvet with a cup of green tea to the sound of your chill playlist is the ideal situation. So read and take heed of these simple steps to conquering the ‘oh so sweet’ world of passive aggression.

Facebook We’re not talking about the trivial ‘indirects’ of twitter here, those nigh-on spiteful MSN statuses or even more old school, the politics of your top friend list on Myspace.

Want to express your indignation on social media? Pop up a mildly relevant status complete with a multitude of sarcastic hashtags: #loveitwhenmenunderminemyauthority #progress #angelinthehouse, and if you

The pinnacle of passive aggression

Photo: Giorgio Montersino

really do want to go all out, round it off frustration, but you mustn’t let the with a simple ‘xoxo’ as the cherry on fury out. If the situation gets desperate your cake of sincerity. remember the crucial mantra: conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know.

Post-it Notes When confronted by one of those The pinnacle of passive aggression … questionable … individuals who is of course the post-it note. Having just can’t seem to help speaking utter issues with someone in your staircase nonsense at all times, defending the constantly dipping their paws into indefensible or being struck down with your secret stash of biscuits? A subtly a case of verbal diarrhoea about just how frank message conveyed by carrier good their essay was this week, keep that post-it will do the trick. A simple ‘we smile plastered on your face. With much were all rooting for you’, on the base luck, it’ll merge into a rather disturbing of that chocolate bar you were saving smile / grimace hybrid which might should hopefully provide just the right render them suitably uncomfortable, guilt trip. forcing them to stop in their tracks and realise their mistake.

Being Polite The number one, golden rule of passive Let Rip aggression is to keep calm and carry on ‘That’s so gay’, ‘but feminism is sexist being a perfect portrait of politeness. No though’, ‘but Cambridge doesn’t actually doubt you’ll be seething with anger, your have a race problem’. Sometimes you blood ready to boil eggs at the speed of can’t let things slide. So let the smile light, your smile about to fracture with fade, and start your howl.

Picking a physical fight or starting a shouting match would be far too active

Student Spotlight: Cambridge University American Society Lindsey Askin & Chase Smith Features Contributor & Features Editor

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he Cambridge University American Society is a new international society. Founded in June 2014, we already have over two hundred members and hope to grow even more in the coming years. Our membership is a diverse mix of Americans – both undergraduates and graduates – and anyone who feels connected to or interested in America.

We have three express purposes as a society: to celebrate American culture, to be a support network for our members at Cambridge and beyond, and, for our American members, to help facilitate the educational and cultural transition from America to the UK. As a society we aim to provide a stable ‘home base’ in Cambridge to help American students at Cambridge feel supported by others who have had similar experiences coming across the pond.

Our events range from American holiday celebrations such as our Thanksgiving pie contest and American football game (a joint event with the Cambridge University American Football Club, the Pythons), American film nights,

Once in a while it’s nice Home of all things American Photo: Liz West to sit back cultural society swaps, regular pub being far away from home. The positive and ‘talk nights, and weekend Dunkin’ Donut feedback we have received from American’ runs. In the future, we aim to provide information for prospective or incoming American students who are searching for guidance on how to navigate the USto-UK transition, and on the other side of graduation, we hope to strengthen ties between our society’s current students and American alumni around the world.

We have found that what is fantastic about Cambridge for Americans is – of course – the adventure of discovering a new culture, experiencing all that the University has to offer and simply

members is that, in the midst of this excitement, once in a while it’s nice to sit back and ‘talk American’ over a pint or a coffee and doughnut with others who are going through similar experiences.

This term we are organizing an Oscars Formal and Party on 22 Febuary, and we are also looking forward to our popular end of term Dunkin Donuts Run on 14 March. Next year we plan to broaden our horizons with trips to the American Embassy in London, and visits to Lakenheath Air Base outside Cambridge.

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Features 19 Planning your May Week: Fresher Edition

Best of May Week:

Freya Sanders Features Contributor

Jesus May Ball Jesus is popular with Freshers because Jesuans used to be able to buy four guest tickets. Though it’s been reduced to two, Jesus will probably keep its Fresher reputation; so if this is your first May Week it’s a good choice.

Murray Edwards Garden Party Basically a June Event for under £30, Medwardians can usually buy 3 guest tickets for their garden party, so it’s not too hard to come by a ticket.

King’s Affair If black tie isn’t your idea of fun, you can let your hair down at King’s Affair.

The only fancy dress June Event, there’s no need for painful heels or tight collars. General release is usually around week seven.

Clare May Ball Clare gets consistently good reviews, so if you’re splashing out on a May Ball, it’s a safe bet. Tickets go on sale tomorrow though – and they’re like gold dust – so start texting your friends at Clare now.

Working John’s A popular option for those desperate to infiltrate John’s – if you work the ball you’re guaranteed the opportunity to buy a ticket the following year. The main drawback is that those doing clear-up can’t have been to a ball the night before, so you’ll have to miss out on Downing and Queens’.

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ver the next couple of weeks, if they haven’t already, tickets will go on sale for this year’s May Balls. But what is this ‘May Week’? What does it entail that can possibly justify the price tag – puppies and unicorns? And why, oh why, are they called May Balls if they happen in June?

Imagine the end of term banquet in the first Harry Potter book, when Harry’s still relatively carefree and innocent, but has just totes vanquished Voldemort and won the House Cup. Then add more Firewhisky than is appropriate for an educational setting, lots of your favourite songs, your best friends and a bouncy castle. That is what a May Ball is like. It’s usually worth the price tag.

But having decided that you want to make the most of your May Week, what next? Getting your hands on tickets is infamously a jungle of schmoozing and FOMO; so if you’ve got your heart set on an event outside your own college, here are some tips on how to play the game.

Coordinate with your friends It’s always awkward when you, peppy and keen, get up at 8:55 a.m. on a Sunday to bagsy a ticket the moment general

release starts, only to find out at brunch that none of your friends followed suit.

Nobody wants to spend £135 to pop across town to an unfamiliar college and get tragically drunk surrounded by strangers.

Plan ahead People start hinting in October; November hails the pointed comments;

by December, people are outright asking. You shouldn’t leave it much later to get in touch with friends at other colleges to ask if they can find you a ticket to their ball. Bat your eyelids, and, if you can, offer them a ticket in exchange.

Don’t be disheartened So you’ve missed the boat on John’s and Trinity? It really is no biggie. The only difference is the price – which is exorbitant – and the fireworks – which can be seen from most places in Cambridge anyway. Even if the whole ticket thing completely passes you by, there’s plenty of fun to be had.

Any week when friends and food are plentiful, and work is conspicuously absent – even Cambridge wouldn’t dare give you a reading list the week after exams – is going to be great. A lot of events, such as Girton Garden Party and the Cardboard Boat Race, are completely free. So you needn’t extensively splash out to have a good time.

What could possibly justify the price tag – puppies and unicorns?

Location, location, location: Town before gown Elsa Maishman Features Editor

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me. When at last I began to research the University online, it hit me: Cambridge was not only one of the most gorgeous universities in the world, but one of the best. It was terrifying to realize that I had set my heart on such a challenging goal. It was this image of Cambridge – its sheer beauty – that stayed in my mind while I worked to make the entrance requirements.

I obviously longed for access to worldclass teaching and resources, but I also looked beyond this into my memories: I could see myself rowing on the Cam, cycling through Market Square, or simply strolling idly down St Andrew’s Street of an afternoon.

My ‘Cambridge Experience’ would have been impossible to recreate anywhere else. Right now, my world exists entirely within a two-mile radius of Emmanuel, situated firmly within the Sidgwick–Boathouse–ADC triangle.

I believe that the city of Cambridge defines us as students – I know it has for me. As I meander through the city, I can’t help but think that the beauty of this place is not just an ornamentation, but a necessary feature, to keep us all sane – because even in the midst of the deepest essay crisis, the reward is the sea of gothic stone beyond the window, and the beauty just outside the door.

t the age of 15, I visited Cambridge for the first time. I remember walking beside the Cam through piles of crackling autumnal leaves. I toured the ancient colleges, and even braved the cold for a punt along the river. There were students everywhere – hurrying to lectures, strolling across 300 year-old courtyards, comparing workloads in coffee shops.

Even though I felt a connection, I never doubted that for my undergraduate degree I would follow in both my older siblings’ footsteps, and matriculate at Trinity College, Dublin.

But during that one visit, gazing at these students with their ancient buildings and idyllic town, I began to feel an emotion almost akin to envy. Cambridge was the perfect size for me – big and bustling, but not so large that my countrydwelling self would be overwhelmed.

And with its winding lanes and stunning architecture, the city even reminded me of my beloved Dublin.

After returning home to Ireland, my memories of Cambridge remained with Location, location, location!

Photo: Steve Cadman

I could see myself here: rowing on the Cam, strolling through the ancient city

Cambridge Curiosity Cabinet Guy Lewy Columnist How to spot Victorian fakery

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hether you’re an architect or a five-year-old, anyone can get a kick out of the quirky and archaic shapes and layouts of this University’s architecture.

One satisfying way of looking at the buildings around us is to get a one-up on the pesky Victorians, who had a thing for copying old styles and pretending their buildings were older than they were.

Gothic buildings were the grandest and most impressive in the city, until the Victorians came and decided to build a new wave of neo-gothic buildings, designed to look like they had been built centuries earlier in an age of hand tools and feudality.

Cambridge is built from dozens of types of stone and brick, but the most characteristic is the golden limestone.

This golden stone comes mainly from two quarries, called Ketton and Ancaster, with subtle distinctions in look and texture. Ketton limestone is golden but punctuated with the occasional pink brick, while Ancaster limestone is characteristically tiger striped with orangey bands, and no pink.

Ketton, with its pink highlights, was in fashion while the older college buildings were being built. With vast quantities dug up for Downing’s construction, the first of the new wave of colleges built after a long foundingless hiatus between 1600 and 1800, all of the Ketton seems to have used up, after which tiger-striped Ancaster fell into vogue with the Victorians and their anachronistic visions of the past.

So if you see something that looks old and gold, take a closer look. If, like Downing, the frontage of Emma or Caius’ Michaelhouse, there is pink, you are looking at a genuinely old building built in the days of horses and monasteries and codpieces. If, like St John’s chapel, the Pitt Building or the frontage of King’s college, it is tiger striped and pinkless, it is not what it’s claiming to be and would have coexisted with the steam train.

Perhaps now you’ll see the history of our streets slightly differently. There is no need to belittle the Victorians for their copying of old styles; the newer buildings are quite pretty in their own right. But it is amusing to know that the frontage of King’s is 300 years younger than the chapel behind it whose style it mimics.

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

Week in Pictures

A wintery path at Corpus Christi College after early February snowfall

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Ali M.S.K. (@alimsk)

Cartoon by Miranda Gabbott

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Games & Technology

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Game in focus: DOTA2 Dan Voller Games & Tech Contributor

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ota (Defence of the Ancients) is one of the most popular online games currently available, and an astoundingly simple concept. You play as one of a team of five heroes, matched against another team of five. The objective of the game is to destroy the other team’s ‘ancient’ (more or less a base).

The hero pool consists of over 100 distinct characters with their own skills, personalities, strengths and weaknesses. The battle takes place in a fantasy arena split into three paths: a top, middle and bottom lane in which computer controlled units called creeps spawn every minute, fighting to help the players. The two teams spawn at opposing ends of the map, representing the factions of Radiant and Dire respectively. Players are pitted against each other in an intense conflict over the key resources: gold to buy items to aid the fight, and experience in order to level up and learn new abilities.

Optional secondary objectives provide each team chances to get ahead of their opponents. Each also has three towers per lane, which provide protection for the owner, and a gold bonus for the other team if destroyed.

In between the three lanes is a dark area of no mans land, the jungle, which spawns neutral creeps killable by either team. Finally, deep within the fog of

war lies the pit of Roshan. Roshan is the toughest computer controlled unit in Dota, and can usually only be defeated by several heroes working together. yet yields a large experience and gold boost, as well as the coveted Aegis of the Immortal, an item that provides an extra life for whoever carries it.

It is the struggle over these multiple resources and objectives alongside the overarching plan to destroy the enemy that makes Dota such a compelling, experience for the player. Dota may be a game with a simple ruleset, but the real game is in the complex interaction between heroes and environment.

Choices that you make within the first five minutes of a game can impact your whole team’s strategy, and lead to an early win or loss. As such, Dota is often criticized for having not so much a learning curve but a learning cliff.

This is something that I can certainly attest to, even after playing nigh on 1,000 games of Dota, I’m still nowhere near being considered a great player, and I learn new tricks every single time I play.

Dota has kept me playing for the last three years simply because it does not get old. Every single game is entirely unique, not only because the heroes played by each team may change, but also the way in which the game plays out can vary wildly. I have played, and been on the receiving end of 15 minute shut-outs, when one team has completely dominated, gained

Considering the game is free to play, I think I got my money’s worth

Looks like a hero to me... a huge early advantage in both gold and experience and then just pushed it home, obliterating the other team on the way to victory. On the other hand I have also played in intense, nail-biting matches of well over an hour long. Here the balance of the game can rest upon a single all out brawl with the opposition that can be over within seconds.

Dota truly is a game of emotions.

Moments of glory such as a perfectly executed gank (killing an enemy player) are matched by the dreadful feeling of helplessness when you end up facing an extremely powerful enemy hero who has just single handedly dismantled your team mates.

Image: YouTube In addition, it has kept me in regular contact with old friends from school and college, and introduced me to new people with whom I now play and chat almost everyday. This is one of the best parts of Dota and video games in general for me. Even if I’m not playing with friends, communication and teamwork are so very crucial to winning. As such, it can be incredibly satisfying when you play well, your team plays well, and so you secure a well deserved victory.

In conclusion then, Dota is a fantastically complex game that has entertained me and my mates for thousands of hours.

Considering the game is free to play, I think I got my money’s worth.

Making sense of our surveillance state Julia Craggs Games & Tech Contributor

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aranoia is incredibly hard to avoid in 2015. Since the terrifying Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris earlier this year, we’ve been faced with a veritable barrage of technological terrorism, and political big-brother backlash.

All the while, the tech in our smartphones tracks the articles we read, the images we see, and who we call in a paranoid panic. So how on earth do we make sense of our state of constant and thorough surveillance? How should we weigh up the pros and cons.

Despite being quick to insist ‘Je suis Charlie’ at the unity marches in Paris following the attacks, at home the Prime Minister had a rather different view of the crisis. One which the classic satrirical publication Private Eye summed up neatly in their front page – ‘Je suis Charlatan’.

Cameron has pledged that, should he win the next general election, he will introduce a ‘snoopers’ charter’,

allowing security services to spy on the content of our internet communications.

The bill would also block apps such as WhatsApp, and Apple’s iMessage and Facetime, since both companies encrypt their data when it comes to these services.

Cameron went on to ask, “In our country, do we want to allow a means of communication between people which … we cannot read?”

Already, the Bill has received much criticism from the Liberal Democrats and pressure groups. Emma Carr, director of Big Brother Watch (a pressure group dedicated to defending civil liberties) argued fiercely that it would be “wholly unacceptable” to introduce this policy in the wake of such a tragedy.

Nick Clegg further warned that “[the bill] is not targeted, it is not proportionate, it’s not harmless”, and would mean a “dramatic shift in the relationship between the state and the individual”. The dangers of Cameron’s proposed paternal state do appear to be encroaching on personal freedoms – but

are they a necessary evil?

Just a few weeks ago, it appeared that both the YouTube and Twitter accounts of the US military had been hacked by a group working under the supposed influence of the Islamic State. CentCom (US Central Command) responded that, although embarrassing, it was just “cyber-vandalism”.

Funnily enough, President Obama was giving a speech on cyber-safety as the attack on CentCom occurred.

Clearly in an age where physical and digital terror threats have become very real, there is of course a growing need to implement certain protection measures.

But how do you increase security without compromising freedoms?

According to a list complied by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, we have the most transparent government in the world – but we also do the most spying.

The surveillance state is undoubtedly growing, whether we like it or not – and how much the thought hikes up the blood pressure levels, may very well critically depend on how well we can ignore it.

At least they can’t read your WhatsApps

Image: Ly...

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

TV & Film Sarah-Jane Toolan TV & Film Contributor

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ast year was the year of the selfie, the year of the ice bucket, and the year of the reboot.

With the news that Chris Pratt, Hollywood’s new golden boy, may don Harrison Ford’s fedora for an Indiana Jones remake, it seems very likely that 2015 will be year of the reboot of, well, the reboot.

“What happened to originality?!”

I cry as I dramatically slump in front of the news, pushing to the back of my mind all of those times I passed off a lecturer’s idea for my own in a supervision or lied about how my ‘Thai Noodle Soup’ was an ancient family recipe when I actually got it off the back of a packet of Super Noodles. “How can

Could this be the next Indiana Jones?

the demigod that is Harrison Ford ever be replaced?!” I question, eating Ben & Jerry’s despairingly and ignoring the fact that I replaced ex-boyfriend number one with ex-boyfriend number two with relative ease.

I have no qualms with ‘the reboot’, as long as it is in safe hands; Christopher Nolan’s Batman, The Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and Casino Royale are films that have surpassed, in my view, their original source material. Of course, it will feel alien swooning over Chris Pratt instead of the hundreds of times I have giggled girlishly at Harrison Ford’s rugged massacring of Nazis.

Yet to be able to see the film afresh with new eyes (probably due to the 3D glasses), to have it introduced to a new generation and a new era, is an idea to which I cordially tip my sable fedora.

> Wolf Hall Libby ParryHughes

9/10

Image: Gage Skidmore

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I Larry ‘Doc’ Sportello ambles in a haze of confusion after elusive ex-girlfriends, some resurrected saxophone players and bad guys who literally have swastikas tattooed on their faces in Paul Thomas Anderson’s fantastically sprawling adaptation of the 2007 Thomas Pynchon novel. The plethora of cases, names, faces and agendas is bewildering. In one scene, Doc, trying to connect the cases, sits (joint in hand) in front of a whiteboard covered with incoherent scrawls of names. By this point in the film the audience can identify with that feeling entirely.

Inherent Vice is visually beautiful, using disembodied senses to evoke its sultry film noir melancholy. The colours are luridly neon, the voices mostly confined to a seductive murmur, particularly in the drawling, tongue-incheek philosophising of the narrator, Sortilège. It is difficult to find something more tangible to hold on to, though; the visual is often obscured through a haze of smoke, and the narrative is just as difficult to grasp.

It’s so easy to get swept along in the meandering, entertaining plot and its protagonist’s baffled humour that the sinister undertones of the film’s power struggle go unnoticed. The turning point comes at the unexpected return of

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It’s time for a new Indiana Jones

iven the relentless fervour that has surrounded the Wolf Hall franchise for several years now, some review of its runaway success feels long overdue.

However if this much-anticipated adaptation has not quite matched the popular acclaim of its source-material, as declining ratings would seem to indicate, this is no reflection of the quality on the drama produced.

An impressive cast, headed by Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis, extends to even the more minor roles, evoking the sheer density of personalities at court.

Jonathan Pryce as a newly vulnerable Wolsey is particularly notable, suggesting at once defencelessness and a more sinister past. Ultimately it is of course Rylance who, as Thomas Cromwell, is the heart of the show, and the understated, restrained nature of his performance works well, providing a solid centre from which to view an increasingly unsteady world.

A corresponding modesty in direction may well prove to be Wolf Hall’s greatest strength. Sets are authentic and suitably Holbein-esque, but overlycontrived, ostentatious grandeur is eschewed in favour of a more “livedin” feel, allowing locations to feel like actual homes rather than museums.

More significantly, the flamboyant Machiavellianism familiar to audiences of Rome or Game of Thrones is distinctly absent in these opening episodes, a wise move which has invested the various

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Image: BBC Pictures

unfolding plots with human weight rather than purely sensational intrigue.

One suspects this will serve future episodes well when the promised onslaught truly begins. And indeed, it will ultimately be these next instalments which, as they chart Cromwell’s rapid ascent, determine whether Wolf Hall is simply a well-produced adaptation of a bestseller, or a classic BBC drama in its own right.

Binge TV is taking over my life Meggie Fairclough TV & Film Contributor

< Inherent Vice Ciara Larkin

Image: jvoves Shasta, aforementioned ex-girlfriend.

Katherine Waterston’s commanding presence has given even this vulnerable character an unshakeable control; with her submission, the film suddenly swerves into a darker terrain. It loses its vibrant colours, slapstick violence becomes real and bloody, and the audience is feels a little uneasy in any of the humour that follows.

A bewilderingly portrayal of sexuality and a loose narrative are Inherent Vice’s main problems – its rambling pace borders on frustrating – but as a whole it remains just endearingly incoherent enough to charm its way around them.

8/10

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.nce I was a real, oldfashioned TV addict. I had my trash-filled Saturday night of The X Factor and Take Me Out, Monday’s University Challenge (I know, I know), and a bit of America’s Next Top Model on Thursdays. What’s more, if I wasn’t watching Pointless every night at 17:15 with a cup of tea, I don’t know where I’d have been.

A luxury of home Image: BBC Pictures

In hindsight, it’s clear to see that my week was mapped out by episodes on the telly. I liked the routine; if I missed out on a weekly fix or programme, it would throw my whole week off sync.

At Cambridge, this cycle has been destroyed. The hectic schedule of lectures, supervisions and social life has simply not accounted for my TV fix.

Instead, I’ve joined most of my friends in ‘binge watching’. I’d define it as a lot of telly and a lot of ice cream in very little time, and with very few loo breaks in between.

I can end up watching rubbish for extensive stretches, no problem. I can forget about essay deadlines, appointments and exams, because what really matters is that Sandra Bullock wants world peace or that someone’s going to win a 5-star honeymoon to the Bahamas or the Costa del Sol. I can admit what I’m watching is terrible, and that I could be doing much more productive things, but it is my means of escape. Yes, I’m at Cambridge, but surely even Steven Hawking needed his fix of EastEnders from time to time?

Gone are my regular rituals. It’s like a new diet – why take one cookie out of the jar, when you can eat them all?

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Theatre

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Review: ‘The Witches of Eastwick’ Chase Caldwell Smith Theatre Reviewer

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rom its spellbinding opening number to its awkwardly hilarious close, The Witches of Eastwick offers a spunky cross between Wicked-style power ballads and foot-tapping dance numbers.

Set in an isolated New England town, the world of the characters comes to life in front of a simple but effective set, with an opaque screen in the shape of the moon dominating each scene.

Dramatic thunder and lightning set the tone of each scene effectively.

The acting was superb all round.

A special mention goes to Megan Henson, who hilariously portrays a power-hungry environmentalist in the agony of losing her endangered egrets

The show is a mix of the otherwordly and the familiar

‘Racing Demon’

to encroaching development. The three leading ladies’ numbers together are some of the greatest highlights of the show: the close harmonies can alternately chill and enchant, drawing the audience into this quirky and yet uncomfortably relatable world of yearning for love.

I was remarkably impressed by a scene in which Joanna Clarke, one of the three leading ladies, interacts with George Longworth. Their characters, represented by two musicians on either side of the stage, play the cello and violin with passion and grace while the two actors sing: by placing the instruments outside of their immediate world, the actors are free to perform the scene unencumbered. This creates an alternate reality where two types of music and emotion, the outside instrument and the internal voice, can

coexist, to stunning effect.

The choreography was admirably tight, with the actors and actresses dancing just as well as they sang. The already catchy tunes were reinforced by precise dancing, and a special mention must be made to Zak Ghazi-Torbati for his enviably agile dance moves.

It was difficult to hear some of George Longworth’s lines, perhaps due to his choice of a husky, quiet voice for his character. This was a shame as his dark humour and sly side-comments were so spot-on for most of the show, and I would have liked to have heard more of them.

The show is a mix of the otherworldly and the familiar, and in its oddity, it may perhaps reflect our own lives more than we would like to acknowledge.

The Witches of Eastwick is certainly not to be missed.

Play-ing it safe: Does Cambridge stifle creativity?

Tara Kearney Theatre Contributor

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riting and putting on Dreaming of Leaves this term has made me question Cambridge’s capacity for creativity. There seems to be a paradox between the University’s creative alumni and the atmosphere of the University itself.

The immediate temptation here is to talk about the workload, but I’ll try and move away from that. We have too much to do, in too little time: the reading week debate has legitimised our complaints on the unmanageable workload. This rings especially true in an arts degree, where we’re told – laughably – that doing more, faster, is somehow a virtue.

In response to the workload: just stop doing so much work, and do more of the things you enjoy. But the collective cry of despair seems to concern more than the workload. This makes me wonder if there is something about the actual nature of the work that is stifling. We’re constantly being asked what our argument is, what our angle is.

This obsession with arguments in our supervisions stifles art outside.

There are lots of creative people in Cambridge, and we’re all very young and often very insecure. This tends to have the effect of breeding competition: too often we hear fellow students gossiping about those who graduate with a First despite ‘not doing any work’ and lending all their time to extra curricular activities. Those who graduate with a 2.i having spent twelve hours in the Library every day apparently ‘deserve’ the First more,

Are we losing the ability to write as well as read great literature? which only really goes to show how messed up the examination system really is. Exams shows nothing valuable. But yet it makes fierce competitors out of even the most grounded among us.

This sense of competition has, sadly, extended to the extracurricular arts in Cambridge. There exists an overwhelming pressure to show and be seen, an element exacerbated by social media. For fear of wanting to generalise – and this certainly does not apply to all student theatre put on in Cambridge – the pressure of ticket sales and filling auditoriums has led to a culture of safety in terms of what’s put on.

The ability of student theatre in Cambridge to imitate the professional industry is admirable, but perhaps what’s been lost in this competitive and professional atmosphere is the rough edge which made it OK for people to experiment, and OK for things to go

And so we wonder, is there something about the actual nature of the work that is stifling?

Image: catherine329

Bea Lundy Theatre Reviewer

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his is a captivating play, providing insight into an incoherent Anglican Church losing its place in everyday life. Four vicars working in innercity London individually struggle with the long, slow-burning decline in parishioner numbers, presenting different theological methods to combat this loss. Through the vicars’ different reactions, from zealous evangelicalism to passive acceptance, the play reveals an interesting tension within the institution of the Church, and in its relationship with modern society.

The play carries a serious tone, suggestive of the real theological issues with which many of the characters are grappling, doubting God and the Church throughout. Silas Lee presented a progressively revelatory and deep character in the Rev. Lionel Espy, struggling with personal doubts about his faith, a troubled home and a difficult boss. In contrast, the Rev. Donna ‘Streaky’ Bacon (Heather Fantham) provides some much needed comic relief, with a particularly impressive performance. She receives comedic support from the Sam Knight, who plays a multi-dimensional character struggling with his sexuality.

While the overall performance is not as tight as it might be, Oli MacFarlane’s dislikeable and maniacally zealous Rev. Tony Ferris is equally repulsive and mesmerising. His representation of a vicar battling against the decline of the Church in everyday life is visceral and violent, exposing Hare’s originally intended critique of those within the Church, rather than the institution itself.

Hare’s script is still as poignant as it was in 1990. The play is competently directed by Will Bishop, whose vision of a sparse inner London religious following is complemented by the equally sparse stage. However, the lack of props on stage also leaves the actors un-lifelike, with nothing to do when receiving or performing lengthy tirades at one another, or offering impassioned monologues to God. Having the entire cast on stage is particularly powerful, with brief but effective choral interludes to provide an eerie air to the already unnerving, personal story.

wrong. The need to have producers for student shows is part of this problem, and without a producer for Dreaming of Leaves, I’ve found some aspects of putting on the show difficult.

I also find Cambridge’s reviewing culture bizarre. I guess the reason for it is to sell tickets, and if we sell more tickets, then more people might want to come and chat to us about their visions of the post-apocalypse, which does help foster a creative atmosphere. That said, if two people turn up to watch the show, it will be as interesting an experience as if fifty turn up.

So, as a final note, come and see our show. Or don’t. I understand that poetic visions of the post-apocalypse aren’t for everyone. There are lots of Disney references in it, too. You might like it.

You might not. That’s OK. Dreaming of Leaves is on at the Newnham Old Labs from Tuesday.

Rev Lionel Espy

Image: J Hjorth

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Music 24 Personal Playlists: Songs for Winter Lucy Gledhill-Flynn Music Contributor

lovely Cornwall rasp of Fink’s vocal, however, is constantly enchanting.

inter is an unstoppable force of pigs in blankets, snow (when we’re lucky), rain (when we’re not) and reminders that Bob Geldof is still releasing the same song after 30 years.

For me, winter equals food. But it also means discovering and often reflecting on good music, instead of essay titles.

‘Gospel’ - The National

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‘This Is The Thing’ - Fink ‘It’s getting dark and it’s getting cold and the nights are getting long.’ So, Fink seems to have nailed this whole winter concept. However, he also nailed the feeling of contemplative bewilderment, as ‘This Is The Thing’ signals inhabiting the winter inside as well as out. Taking us all the way back to 2007, Fink takes a beautiful major intro and scraps it for a rushed minor ending and what disturbingly sounds like someone inhaling through a gas mask in the background. The

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elle and Sebastian’s ninth album has the sound of a band grown confident with age. Far removed from the shy, bookish twenty-somethings they once were, Stuart Murdoch and co. have assumed their role as indie-pop idols with ease.

But while Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance is imbued with the band’s usual wit and charm, their newfound maturity is not without its drawbacks.

Perhaps the most noticeable change in this album is the wealth of different styles and genres Belle and Sebastian dabble in. For a group that is so often typecast as twee and indie (sometimes deservingly), they are remarkably versatile here. The boldest experiment is ‘The Party Line’, which sounds like

Stevie Jackson

The National seem to have been creating good records for as long as Bono has been creating bad ones.

Baritone Mark Berninger’s seemingly bottomless voice definitely has affinity with holiness for me. ‘Gospel’ moves slowly, as though awakening someone from a deep sleep, speaking of wondrous future moments. Envisioning a future where Berninger will ‘pour a nice icy drink for you’. Frankly, it would be rude to turn the offer down.

Songs to warm you from the inside

His lovely Cornwall rasp is constantly enchanting

‘Cut Your Teeth’ - Klya la grange (Kygo remix)

‘In a Week’ - Hozier Ft. Karen Cowley Hozier and Karen Cowley’s harmonies combine on ‘In a Week’ beautifully, and the marching tambourine shake in the background lends to the hypnotic feel of the song. I see this as a tune that perfectly encapsulates winter, with lyrics that hunt to achieve a state of unmoving delight, somehow turning the revolting image of a body feasted upon by insects into a fundamentally desirable situation.

Although the previous tracks may have felt lethargic at times, the Kygo remix of Kyla La Grange’s ‘Cut Your Teeth’ tends to shake up winter in a ‘let’s sway our hips slightly’ kind of way.

Kyla La Grange sounds like what I’d imagine a bird’s song would sound like if a bird could form words and speak English. The song might ring a sadistic

a wordier take on Daft Punk’s discofunk thump. The playful dancefloor beat on ‘The Book of You’ works brilliantly, and ‘The Everlasting Muse’ is an impressive exploration of sounds, deftly jumping from seductive jazz shuffle to loud folky sing-along chorus.

The standout tracks, however, are very much classic B&S. ‘The Cat with the Cream’ puts Murdoch’s fragile, wistful vocals in focus above a bed of softly stirring strings, while ‘Nobody’s Empire’ builds a few simple chords into a thrillingly triumphant conclusion.

For all its peaks, the album often feels uneven and poorly paced. ‘Enter Sylvia Plath’ barges in midway through the proceedings with a gratingly gaudy synth beat, and the wallowing ‘Play for Today’ manages to kill all momentum. The album brings some disappointments, though, such as the conspicuous lack of Stuart Murdoch’s lyrical storytelling; the yearning and nostalgia that Murdoch captured so well in the band’s earlier songs is all but lost here. He’s still a better lyricist than most, but it’s telling that his best lyrics on the album are about fighting writer’s block, casting his “everlasting muse” as an ethereal figure who is increasingly distant and disdainful.

Nonetheless, despite the drawbacks, overall Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance is a strong album effort. Fans will be delighted; newcomers would be better off discovering the band’s 1990s Image: jgraham classics first.

note at times with ‘Come back, break your bones I’ll cut you up and never let go’ but the overall sound is soothing.

Image: Simon & His Camera

‘My Wrecking Ball’ - Ryan Adams Ryan Adams can be a truly moody son of a mother, who refuses to be categorised into a genre of music, constantly experimenting with a variety of styles from country to hard rock. The chorus of ‘My Wrecking Ball’ is a sigh of anguish amongst his heavier tracks and the track is perfect for lazy winter ‘nothing to do’ nights in. All I can do is thank Ryan Adams for gifting us with the most poetic image of the wrecking ball since Miley Cyrus decided to mount and swing upon one, forever tainting our minds.

Alter egos and Secret Identities

< ‘Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance’ Belle and Sebastian Alex Jenkins

7/10

Tom Ronan Music Editor

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ast week saw the return of the concept band Gorillaz, with contributor Jamie Hewlett posting new artwork of the band on Instagram. When questioned about the drawings he responded unambiguously; “Yes, Gorillaz returns”. Hewlett works alongside ex-Blur frontman Damon Albarn, creating cartoons and artwork to accompany Albarn’s collaborative musical endeavours. Yet it’s hard to find either of them in the band’s output; the pair have instead released their material under the guise of a virtual band consisting of four members, creating personalities, storylines and a whole fictional universe for their characters to inhabit. They are not unique in this.

Gorillaz sit in a long tradition of artists who have masked, warped or changed their musical identity, spawning secret albums and alter egos.

Some established artists have used pseudonyms to release new work in the hope that the public will listen to their creation with fresh ears. This phenomenon is by no means unique to the music world: just think of JK Rowling writing crime fiction as Robert Galbraith, hoping to gain an honest appraisal of her work that wouldn’t be clouded by the Harry Potter series.

In this vein Paul McCartney released

a bizarre selection of ambient techno songs as ‘The Fireman’ in 1993. Green Day pulled a similar stunt with their secret side project Foxboro Hot Tubs, using the alias to the release the same unimaginative three-chord pop-punk they’ve been recording relentlessly for the past 29 years.

Others have sought to hide from the limelight altogether. Short-lived and over-hyped Manchester band WU LYF eschewed interviews, gave only enigmatic information to the press, and thrived on the air of mystery they had carefully constructed. The group’s obsession with anonymity was, predictably, itself a publicity stunt and the group disbanded shortly after the release of their debut album Go Tell Fire to the Mountain.

No discussion of musical identity would be complete without reference to David Bowie. He is revered for the wealth of personas he has adopted over his long and varied career. The vas selection ranges from Ziggy Stardust to The Thin White Duke. The figure of Bowie has become more than just the man or the music itself: he has become a shape-shifting cultural icon.

Being a musical artist has always been about more than just the music: image and persona matters. However much artists try to recreate or conceal their identities, the one thing they can’t do is escape them.

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Books 25 What’s in a name? The labelling of literature as ‘LGBT’ Chris Lynch Books Contributor

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here are lots of books labelled ‘LGBT’, with the typical gay bookshelf holding Sarah Waters’ Tipping the Velvet, Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, and anything written by David Levithan or Judith Halberstam. But it’s hardly clear what it means to ‘label’ a book anything, let alone to say that such a book can be stamped with the badge ‘LGBT’.

An initial theory is that a book is LGBT if it’s written by a non-straight and / or non-cis author. But then what about James Baldwin’s Go Tell It On The Mountain, a book which makes no mention of homosexuality despite Baldwin’s status as one of the few openly gay writers of the 1950s? If a trans person or a lesbian thinks that a traditional ‘straight’ book speaks to them, should it be included in the ‘LGBT’ canon? To what extent can supposedly straight, or merely nonorientated literature be queered?

Rather than get too wrapped up in theoretical worries about whether there

Brendan Mahon President of CUSU LGBT+ 1. ‘Christopher And His Kind’ Christopher Isherwood Isherwood’s autobiography, covering his years in pre-war Berlin and the ensuing desperate struggle to save his other half, Heinz, from the Nazis, evokes a sense of existential crisis. In a particularly poignant passage describing the ejection of Heinz from Britain, the reader is subjected to the same sense of injustice that the protagonists must surely have felt.

2. ‘The Swimming Pool Library’ Alan Hollinghurst Many find Hollinghurt’s lead character, Will Beckwith, an unpleasant man.

I think he is supposed to be. Deeply flawed and as imperfect as any of us, Beckwith’s life in 1980s London is one of promiscuity; themes of shame, brushes with the law and plain old cruising pervade the pages as common fare. It makes an uncomfortable yet enthralling read.

It should be asked whether the practice of labelling books is helpful

are conditions for a book to be branded ‘LGBT’, it should be asked whether such a practice of labelling books is helpful. It is difficult to impose concepts of sexual orientation that arguably only make sense in a 21st century context onto a wealth of literature that explores sexual desire in historical time periods and locations.

Nonetheless, the visibility of ‘LGBT’ literature can provide powerful inspiration for non-straight and noncis people, especially for adolescents seeking to make sense of their sexuality and its place in the world. Labelling books ‘LGBT’ signposts certain texts as a potential refuge from the storm of confusion, homophobia, transphobia and social exclusion, and if it reduces LGBT+ suffering, then surely labelling is helpful.

However, we shouldn’t pretend that most literature about queer lives isn’t tragic. There are few happy endings for queer people in history and literature, although there are some notable exceptions, including Forster’s Maurice and Levithan’s Boy Meets Boy. There is a palpable risk that opening up the world of ‘LGBT’ literature to queer

3. ‘A Boy’s Own Story’ Edmund White For me, this is a quintessential comingof-age story. Set in 1950s America, the narrator presents a powerful tale, juxtaposing his strive for acceptance and fulfilment from the other characters’ rejection and self-doubt. At times, the novel seems all too familiar and hits rather close to home.

teens on the premise that characters resemble their own experiences might result in such teens aligning their own lives with the catastrophic tragedies faced by queer people in fiction.

In the long term, the labelling of books as ‘LGBT’ will hopefully cease to be necessary. As people outside the Cambridge Bubble start adopting the mantra that ‘Sexuality and gender happen on a spectrum’, and as people start to actually internalise that mantra rather than sloganistically pay lipservice to it, then the marginalisation and denial of non-straight and non-cis expressions of identity will become increasingly untenable.

Until then, ‘LGBT’ literature, provided it isn’t treated as something exclusively for LGBT+ people, is great when it helps queer teenagers. And let’s not forget that just therapeutically soothing queer people’s anxieties isn’t enough. It is in our collective power, queers, straights, trans and cis alike, to stop perpetuating those structures that serve to cause LGBT+ suffering in the first place. Let’s not let our fetishization of Walker and Wilde get in the way of that bigger imaginative vision.

4. ‘On Liberty’ Shami Chakrabarti I’ve long flirted with a career in law, for which the PhD in Chemistry I’m working towards would ill equip me, but On Liberty reignited these embers.

It argues for the scrapping of the Human Rights Act, to which LGBT+ people in Europe owe many of the legal advances of recent years. A must read for libertarians everywhere.

The Harry Harris LGBT+ Library is 5. ‘Darkness at Dawn, The Rise of the located at Russian Criminal State’ CUSU on David Satter the New With Russia lurching ever further into Museums site the dark depths of LGBT+phobia (only last month they banned trans people from driving), this book purports to offer an insight into the psyche of those in power in Russia. Darkly compelling, Satter weaves a narrative through the experiences of ordinary Russians.

Harry Harris (1986–2011) was a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, reading Brendan in the CUSU LGBT+ Library for a PhD in Medical Genetics. The Image: Alice Mottram LGBT+ library is named in his honour.

‘Queerying’ LGBT+ fiction Alice Mottram Books Editor

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Image: Bibi Saint-Pol

irginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway touches upon a same-sex relationship with as quiet a fanfare as possible, but the potentials of this LGB narrative would not be fully explored until almost 75 years later in Michael Cunningham’s The Hours.

Updated to modern New York, the bisexual Clarissa lives with partner Sally. As Cunningham updated Woolf, Christopher Isherwood transformed his own fictions into fact, from the semiautobiographical stories in Goodbye to Berlin to his 1977 memoir Christopher and His Kind, which removed all selfimposed censorship to reveal an honest portrait of his homosexuality.

But perhaps the most striking revision of a same-sex narrative is Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles, which reinterpreted elements of The Iliad as explicitly homosexual.

Yet is this reinterpretation of LGBT+ narratives progressive, or is it evidence of a modern misunderstanding of ancient culture? Cunningham’s treatment of Woolf, and Isherwood’s self-revision, can certainly be called updating.

They have augmented narratives which did not have a historical platform, and given a voice to those which had to be “left out, unattempted”.

Revising ancient culture neglects the purely pedagogical nature of some homosexual relationships and serves to perpetuate a modern misunderstanding of such a culture.

Yet, The Song of Achilles has not replaced The Iliad; they stand side by side. It may say more about modern culture than ancient, but so long as readers do not approach Miller’s reinterpretation as a comprehensive historical account of homosexuality there is no need to discredit it. It is as much a fiction as Homer’s epic, and if it provides readers with another LGBT+ narrative on the overwhelmingly heterosexual shelves of history, then that is surely a good thing.

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

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Fashion

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Poppy art: how to make your nails shine Anna Carruthers Fashion Contributor

Maddy Airlie Fashion Editor

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pply a clear base coat to protect your natural nail and prevent the polish from staining (Sally Hansen ‘Hard as Nails’ Clear £4.75). Then cover the entire nail in a white or very pale pastel shade (Barry M ‘66’ Matt White £2.99) in order to create the background.

Using a dotting tool (Amazon £3.99 for 4) or the nail polish brush itself, dab a red polish (Kiko ‘Martha’ Red 238 £3.90) to create the petals.

A dabbing method is better in this instance than a smooth application because it provides greater texture and is easier to control when creating small details. Flower petals rarely have smooth edges so it’s best to allow each petal to be unique in shape. Also, vary the number of petals on each flower, especially those on the same nail.

For the centre of the flower, use a dotting tool or the polish brush itself to dab a small amount of black at the conjecture of the petals (Nails Inc. ‘Black Taxi’ £11). It looks better if you can leave a small amount of space between the black and the petal, allowing a bit of the white background to show through.

Next, in order to create the stems,

Double denim and beyond

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Volia!

Flower power in your hands Nailed it Image: Anna Carruthers use a very narrow brush or cuticle stick to drag a green polish across the nail (NYC ‘High Line’ Green 298 £1.79).

Make the line slightly wavy, in order to fill the empty white space, and have it diverge to each individual flower.

After that, apply a clear polish over the top to add longevity and gloss (NYC Clear £1.79).

If the area around your nail bed has got some nail polish on it, use a cotton bud dipped in nail polish remover to gently remove the polish and sharpen the overall look.

peaking as someone who used to own 14 pairs of jeans, I declare most definitely that denim is essential in anyone’s wardrobe.

Jeans will always be there for you, for relaxed Sunday afternoons, and for navigating the dreaded dress code that is smart casual. But after years of squeezing into skinnies, shaving just your ankles in case they were on show in a cropped pair or pondering whether you can be a feminist and believe in the term ‘boyfriend jeans’, the times are, indeed, a-changing. Relaxed fits with little details, like a drawstring waistband or jewel embellishments for that 1970s glam rock factor, will carry you confidently into next season.

If you are feeling very brave, you could even (deep breath) double denim, and wear a denim shirt with your jeans; just please remember to wear items in different shades at least (we don’t need a complete regression to the 1980s, thank you).

Topshop’s recent collaboration with Marques’Almeida produced lots of interesting denim wear so make the most of the sale and snap up something Glam grunge to stay ahead of the curve for spring!

Image: Polyvore

Inferno or Paradiso? A re-evalutaion of ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ Genevieve Cox Fashion Contributor

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early ten years have passed since The Devil Wears Prada came to our screens. The tale of a wannabe journalist (Anne Hathaway) who has to work far out of her comfort zone at a famous fashion magazine run by the imperious Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). Fashion is obviously an important and influential cultural industry with hundreds of thousands of people attending New York Fashion Week every year alone.

However, the importance of fashion in our lives is undeniably over-stated: do we really need to consider the entire fashion history of a single sweater that we choose to wear on an average morning before the rush for the 9 a.m. lecture when all we’re really thinking about is whether we’ll make it on time?

It is perfectly valid for Andy (Anne Hathaway) to want a career that doesn’t involve changing her entire appearance, perspective and outlook on life, especially for an industry that can be perceived as a never-ending chain of exploitation. The film’s famous scene

Meryl prepping for her next role as Cambridge supervisor has Miranda let Andy know that fashion does affect her life, whether she likes it or not, simply by choosing a sweater.

However, Andy wasn’t thinking about making a statement in a job where, at the end of the day, she’s not the designer or the model that’s being judged for her fashion sense.

But Miranda’s quest for sartorial perfection is about more than clothes

Do we really need to consider the entire fashion history of a single sweater?

Image: anamor2009 via YouTube and designers – fashion is not only her job but has come to define her entire world. She is a career-driven woman who aspires for absolute professionalism in all aspects; ferocity and integrity are necessary for ‘survival of the fittest’ in the fashion-universe.

Therefore, isn’t she perfectly justified in demanding a similar professionalism from her employees?

Or am I simply playing the ‘devil’s advocate’? In the great scheme of things, maybe clothes aren’t of ultimate importance, yet they’re an important part of our culture and our character, not to mention they can make us feel good: “Fashion is not about utility.

An accessory is merely a piece of iconography used to express individual identity.” “Oh! And it’s pretty.”

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

Food and drink

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World Nutella Day: Celebrating an icon Lucy Roxburgh Food and Drink Contributor

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orld Nutella Day is on 5 February, a perfect excuse to do something more adventurous with that jar than simply scooping it onto a spoon.

Take any chocolate recipe and add a dollop of Nutella for immediate effect.

Nutella fudge I didn’t think traditional vanilla fudge could be beaten until I tried this. It’s rich so make sure you cut it into small squares and share generously! Melt 200g of chocolate, 4 tbsps Nutella, 25g butter and one tin of condensed milk together in a saucepan over a low heat.

Take off the heat and stir in 120g of icing sugar. Press into a tin and scatter with sprinkles.

Mini Nutella Cheesecakes Baked cheesecake is great, but the lack of ovens in many Cambridge colleges means this quick version is the perfect way to fill those cravings. I’ve given the quantity for just five mini cheesecakes, because these are so good you won’t want any more around to tempt you!

Melt 25g of butter in microwave. Bash 100g of digestives (or Oreos to up the indulgence even more) into crumbs then stir into the butter. Spoon some mixture into the base of five cupcake cases. Beat 100g of cream cheese until softened and smooth. Stir in 4tbsps of

World Nutella Day, a perfect excuse to do something more adventurous than simply scooping it onto a spoon

icing sugar. Melt 50g of Nutella with 50g of chocolate in a microwave and leave to cool slightly. Stir the Nutella into the cream cheese, then top each biscuit base with a big dollop of cheesecake mixture. Grate over some dark chocolate and chill to firm slightly.

Nutella Marshmallow Mousse This mousse does not involve separating and whisking eggs. Place 150g grams of mini marshmallows, 4tbsps Nutella, 200g dark or milk chocolate (I prefer a mix), 50g butter and a splash of water in a large bowl. Melt together in the microwave until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds to ensure it doesn’t overheat.

In another bowl, lightly whip 300ml double cream. Let the chocolate mixture cool slightly, and then fold in the cream.

Spoon into ramekins and chill for an hour. Top with mini marshmallows.

Images: Lucy Roxburgh

World Nutella Day: A nutty nightmare?

Meggie Fairclough Food and Drink Contributor

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or years upon years I have been taunted, teased and tortured by a brown jar, laced with poison; the forbidden fruit I cannot touch, but only stare at or turn to stone.

Nutella, to be frank, is my nemesis.

I always thought I was a strong, gutsy and independent young woman with the belief that anything was achievable if I set my mind to it. For what it’s worth, my childhood dream was to become the Queen, plus a part-time patisserie chef who also happened to be a professional tap dancer. That was until the tender age of six, when my dreams were shattered, as after eating my third Cornetto ice cream of the day I exploded and was violently ill. Just like that, I became allergic to nuts. I realised that I was not infallible. I was not indestructible.

Moreover, since my childhood was pretty much entirely dependant on ice cream, it seemed that that was over too.

Now, as you are no doubt a highly intellectual individual reading this (well, you’re at Cambridge in any case), you will have gathered that a nut allergy and Nutella don’t really go well together; it’s kind of in the name.

Though I have tasted spices and exotic fruits I cannot pronounce, my culinary palate will never be complete

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As a consequence I have never had the experience of tasting Nutella.

Isn’t this the staple diet of Cambridge students? Even though I have travelled far and wide and have tasted octopus, all sorts of spices and exotic fruits I cannot pronounce, my culinary palate is not, and will never be complete. I am leading a deprived life; I am a colourful canvas, lacking that smudge of brown. I may be a traditionally cultured student, but can I really be considered a proper student if I haven’t had a taste of the elixir of life?

Along with the fact that I will probably never marry Prince William, the fact I will never have the joys of having Nutella on toast is up there as one of the biggest disappointments in my life.

I cannot begin to express what it’s like to walk through the isle of spread in Sainsbury’s. This is my valley of death where nuts, nut products, jars that ‘may contain nuts’, jars made in a factory that ‘have used nuts’ or basically ‘anything that may have come into contact with a person who happened to eat peanut last Saturday’ stare down my every move.

Nutella is their leader and the red eyes behind a white mask mock me, knowing that a single whiff or lick is enough to turn me into a pufferfish.

Like a lot of things, I blame this on my mother. During pregnancy, she didn’t eat granola or avocado, but peanut butter and only peanut butter for the whole of my gestation.

Did you medics know that nut ‘vibes’ can pass through the chorionic membrane along with nicotine and alcohol? I conclude that I have prenatal peanut syndrome, induced by swimming in an amniotic peanutty soup, so thanks Mum! In essence, I am scuppered. I have a disability which I still have yet to come to terms with, and am currently feeling resentful, envious and a bit hacked off with the whole ‘World Nutella Day’ idea.

The jar of death

The Cambridge Chop House Georgina Wong Food and Drink Contributor

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he Cambridge Chop House is a household name loved for its steaks and real ale. Not so much for coffee. However, the restaurant may be about to experience a renaissance of sorts; it has recently reopened after renovation, and now serves coffee and fresh pastries from morning until midday, providing the ideal spot to enjoy a latte and peoplewatch over King’s Parade.

The café has yet to garner much attention, and lacks the buzz of its neighbours. However, the shiny metal furnishings, plush lounge seats and floor-to-ceiling windows give it the atmosphere of a sophisticated brasserie rather than your average coffee shop.

Fresh croissants, Danish pastries, and miniature French-style cakes are available alongside the coffee. For tealovers, there is also a wide selection of loose leaf options supplied by Brew House Teas, including a powerful ‘Fruit Punch’ flavour. My chocolate pastry twist (alongside my sleekly-served latte) was simultaneously flaky and oozing with bittersweet chocolate.

Although The Chop House may not have the same rustic charm and the wide selection of cakes as your independent coffee shop, its prime location makes it a convenient excuse to wind down for a coffee, and the quiet ambience provides a recluse from the bustling tourist swamp outside. However, it is clear that the Chop House’s real forte is still its signature steaks: in the evening, tables are always in demand, and the labyrinthine tunnels downstairs provide an exciting atmosphere for hearty eaters. In contrast, the coffee shop upstairs is filled with natural light, and has the character of a French brasserie.

Although it still lacks the ‘oomph’ factor, it has the potential to become equally as popular during the day as in the evening. Anyway, if there is one thing for certain, the Chop House is bringing Cambridge a bit of class.

Image: Lottie Limb

Image: Georgina Wong

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Lifestyle 28 Life drawing: pencils at the ready Sarah Maclean Lifestyle Columnist

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ast week I attended ArcSoc’s ‘Saturate’ Cabaret night, where personally the most unusual feature of the night was the chance to do life drawing. Sketching the human body armed with only a red Crayola and a flimsy piece of paper, whilst also being slightly (very) intoxicated, was a surreal experience to say the least. I loved it. Previously, I had been used to the standard ‘A-Level Art classroom’ set-up, but ArcSoc gave me a fresh look at life drawing, and I’d forgotten how much I missed it. Once the night had ended, I started thinking about the sober life drawing available to us in Cambridge.

This week, I chose to go to the Friday evening life drawing class held at Scroope Terrace, home to the Architecture & History of Art departments. The setting for the class is the dark, dim lecture hall, with small wooden chairs set up in a semi circle surrounding one single, atmospherically lit spot. For those who have never been to life drawing before: charcoal, paper, and a board is provided in the session, however I chose to bring along my own textured paper and oil pastels to start

experimenting with my medium, a risky move for somebody who had agreed to show their work in a TCS Column…

Ability seriously doesn’t matter when it comes to life drawing. A shifting subject presents a challenge to even the most accomplished of artists, and the activity of drawing itself is all about making mistakes. Being experimental is a vital part of being creative, yet experimenting means that sometimes you get it wrong, so naturally it’s fine to mess up! All that matters is the level of concentration you give, and the effort you put into discovering your own way of drawing.

I feel life drawing is an experience everyone should try at least once.

Creatively expressing yourself is liberating, as the level of attention needed to focus on drawing – especially on details such as hands and feet – allows you to zone out for a while and forget about that deadline.

As the two hours fly by, I realise the session was just what I needed as a time-out. I think those who would never try it again gain, if nothing else, respect for another human being as a model and subject. And for those who feel they wouldn’t like to draw but would like to pose, I hear the sessions are always looking for models.

Get your pencil out

E L C Y C T ’ DON LIGHTS! WITHOUT

…AND AVOID A £30 FINE.

Bike lights available from CUSU for just £8.

Old Examination Hall, Free School Lane, Cambridge, CB2 3RF.

Open 9am-5pm Mon-Fri | 01223 333 313 | info@cusu.cam.ac.uk

Image: Sarah Maclean

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

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Lifestyle 29 Looking for love: TCS blind date Lucy Meekley Lifestyle Editor

Striped canopies and nostalgia

Image: Mark Nelson

Is there still a market for markets?

Jessy Ahluwalia Lifestyle Editor

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oreign markets are always exciting: German Christmas markets are renowned for their festive nature, while Moroccan souks are more exciting to a shopper than Black Friday. But here, in England and in particular Cambridge, is there still a market for markets? Cambridge’s own market doesn’t exactly have the crowds flocking in, and yet it undoubtedly has its charms.

We may have the Grand Arcade, with its beige walls and chain stores. But

there’s something so endearing about the market stalls, which hark back to Cambridge’s former glory days.

Market Square in Cambridge has been a centre of trading since the Middle Ages, and walking down Kings Parade towards the market, you can imagine what it would have been like to be in the city at a time when the University was still new.

I go to the market every week to buy fresh flowers, and have a chat with the lady that sells them. The market isn’t just somewhere to shop or browse: there’s a sense of community, and it’s important for local trade.

Markets abroad are exciting because they’re different to what we’re used to, and that’s exactly what makes Cambridge market so lovely. The produce is sold at a great price, bit it’s a little bit different, and a whole lot more fun to buy. It’s been part of our city’s history for so long, and hopefully it’s something that’s here to stay.

There is a ‘Love Your Local Market’ event running at the end of May, so why not check it out and give Cambridge’s own a go? It’ll give you a chance to support local stalls, eat great food and nab an unusual bargain.

Why not?

There’s something about the market that suggests just how old Cambridge is

Best buys at the market

Ella Nicol-Harper Age: 19 Subject: History First Impression?

Very polite; held open the doors and insisted on buying the first drinks, which was sweet.

Where did you go?

The Eagle, then onto the Cambridge Wine Merchants bar.

What did you talk about?

Travelling, our mutual love of all things German, what sort of history we were studying and, as we are both rowers, rowing of course!

What was your favourite thing about him?

Very easy to talk to and kept me entertained with tales of his travel shenanigans.

Rate the evening out /10: Eight Did you swap numbers?

Nope – although we’ll probably end up seeing each other on the river!

Would you meet again?

Happily as friends, but I didn’t think there was a romantic connection.

Lucy Meekley Lifestyle Editor

Best buys: Honey from Narynda Cheese and pie from Roberto at The Cheese and Pie Man stall Handmade chocolate from Alison’s chocolates Daffodils from the flower stall Cake stand from Love to Create Paperbacks from the book stall Images: Lucy Meekley

William Lyon Age: 26 Subject: History First Impression?

She was cute and I liked the boots. I also was a fan of the glasses.

What did you talk about?

Quite a bit. From travel in Africa, to south America, to learning German, adventures we had been on, History, a bit about our families, sports (rowing and American football), going abroad.

What was your favourite thing about her?

I thought she had a cute smile, pretty eyes and a good sense of adventure.

Rate the evening out of 10: Eight Would you meet again? Yes Images: Subjects’ own

05 February 2015 the cambridge student

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Sport 30 Football: the fans revolt

Serena Williams: an inspiration?

Paul Hyland Sport Contributor

Flora McFarlane Sport Editor

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iverpool’s fixture against Stoke City on November 29th of last year featured an atmosphere of an altogether different sort. The Kop’s trademark sea of flags and scarves honouring heroes past and present found itself replaced by a solitary canvas emblazoned with the opening lyrics to one of the Anfield faithful’s popular folk anthems: “Let me tell you the story of a poor boy.” Holding up four individual banners, supporters pointed out how prices for match tickets have skyrocketed from the early nineties to the present day, leaving an ominous question mark under the year 2020.

However, it’s not just Liverpool fans saying enough is enough. Among other initiatives, this August’s “Affordable Football for All” protest, organised by the Football Supporters’ Federation, saw fans from clubs as varied as Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Leyton Orient march on the Football League’s London headquarters to demand change in the face of the ever-increasing cost of entering the ground on a match day.

And why shouldn’t they? The BBC’s 2014 ‘Price of Football’ survey found that ticket prices have increased at more than three times the rate of inflation since the inception of the Premier

League in 1992. Liverpool supporters’ union, Spirit of Shankly report that the average ticket on the Kop has increased by a factor of 1108% since 1992, when the High Pay Centre report that average wages have increased only 186% in the same time.

When Premier League clubs have already had their yearly television revenue bumped up by £2 billion to a total of £5.5 billion, forking out inordinate amounts of money to watch your team play has surely become hard to stomach for the average fan.

What we see is football steadily being removed from the reach of many of the working class fans who see their club as a cornerstone of their cultural identity.

When supporters unite against soaring prices, we owe them our full support.

For, as Scots legend Jock Stein said, football without fans is nothing.

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“There is arguably no player in the women’s game at the moment who can beat Serena”

Photo: Mark Hillary

erena Williams is a hugely divisive figure in the tennis world, with as many controversies to her name as the number of awards she has accumulated.

There seems to be a divide, especially amongst tennis players, between those who respect and admire her phenomenal skill and those who, in all honesty, can’t stand her.

Williams, during a career spanning 20 years, has won a total of 13 doubles and an impressive 19 singles Grand Slam titles, with the latest record-breaking title coming last Saturday. Whatever people might say about her, this record demonstrates her talent and incredible fighting spirit. There is arguably no player in the women’s game at the moment who can beat Serena, not only when she’s at the top of her game, but even when she’s struggling with illness and a fever of 39°C (as was the case in this year’s Australian Open).

During the past two decades, indeed, over the course of her life, there have been periods of greatness, as well as periods of personal and professional darkness. Her private struggles have been marked by the murder of her sister in 2003, her bouts of depression in the mid-2000s and what some would call her

greatest professional low-point came in 2009 when she threatened a line-judge in the US Open semi-final. However surely it is unfair to expect perfection and universal amiability from a woman who has dedicated her life to being the best at what she does, particularly in the face of such difficulties.

Despite the mind-games deployed before the final, the ensuing match featured some of the best tennis seen in the womens game for a long time.

Her speech after beating Sharapova for the 16th match in a row is a testament to her strength of character and to the girl who first went on court ‘with a ball, a racket and a hope’.

Williams showed that in the midst of whatever difficulties, there is always someone to look to for inspiration and encouragement; whether they are a worldwide sporting success, or a friend down the staircase.

Williams’ words of encouragement are something that can ring true in whatever situation you find yourself in: ‘if you wanna be the best that you can be, and do the best that you can do then you just never give up because you never know what can happen’. Whatever your view on her as an individual, or even as a tennis player, there is inspiration to be found in her life, valuable at any point, even when the world appears to be telling you otherwise.

Captain’s column: Cambridge University swim team Flora McFarlane Sport Editor

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session every week, with land training and weights as well. Training is always demanding, especially alongside academic commitments.

What’s the rivalry like? What was the result last year?

GD: It’s probably one of the oldest swim matches in the world - Cambridge is one of the oldest swimming clubs in the world. So there’s definitely history and definitely rivalry.

AW: Oxford won overall but it went

his week sees the turn of the swimming team, where captains Alexandra Wiseman and “Who’s Graeham Douglas tells us about going to the build up to V-Day. see this – When is Varsity and where is it?

GD: February 28th. It will be at Oxford?!

Parkside Pool, next to Kelsey Kerridge in Cambridge. There’s capacity for around 300 people, and the home support makes a difference.

AW: The swimming starts at 12pm: Swimming is done about 2:30, and is followed by the water polo matches.

How has the season been going?

GD It’s been going fairly well. We had two BUCS matches. The first one went quite well, but in the second one there was a bit of flu going around.

Has training been going well?

GD: We were at training camp after Christmas in Fuerteventura which is the highlight of the year AW: It was such a physical demand on the body and you feel it\ for the next two weeks but we’re going to maintain that and prepare well for Varsity. As well as swimming, we have a plyo Because you can’t swim properly in Cambridge

right down to the wire on the women’s side to the last race, GD: The men’s wasn’t so close but we’re looking a lot stronger this year as we’ve had quite a good intake this year.

Any star swimmers to look out for?

AW: Who’s going to see this – Oxford?!

GD: There’s a bit of games – we don’t know each others’ full roster so part of the sport is picking which swimmers to match up in which events.

Any fresh new talent?

GD: On the men’s side – Callum Ferguson and Dominic Holloway – both NatScis and Freshers who went to the nationals which is uncommon which will make a big difference.

AW: We’ve been seeing some existing swimmers on the team really improving and committing. Katherine Pyne recovered from a serious knee injury and is doing well. Catherine Breed is improving. I’m really looking forward to seeing how she will do – she’ll be able to get a solid PB and potentially a Blue in the right events.

Do you have any PR campaigns up your sleeve?

AW: It’s a long time away still but there’s a video on YouTube of the camp and we’ve also got the event on Facebook that we’re promoting.

Finally, if you were to pick an anthem for the team to skate out to, what would it be?

AW: We do actually walk out to a song, I would totally walk out to ‘Fireball’ by Pitbull.

GD: My personal pump up song is Photo: Graham Douglas ‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminiem

05 February 2015

the cambridge student

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Sport

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FA Cup adventure over for ‘U’s after memorable night at Old Trafford Charles Martland Sport Editor

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or Cambridge United, it was a story of what might have been.

With just a minute on the clock, striker Tom Elliott struck a post when through on goal at the Stretford End. Had he scored, the ‘U’s might have converted their dreams of winning their FA Cup Fourth Round replay at Old Trafford into reality.

As it was, Manchester United ran out comfortable, 3–0 winners on the night.

Richard Money’s men showed grit, courage and determination, but were ultimately unable to match a strong home line-up, featuring the likes of Wayne Rooney, Angel di Maria and Robin van Persie and containing over £230 million worth of talent.

The hosts took the lead courtesy of a fine finish from Juan Mata, who responded quickly to Marouane Fellaini’s back-post header to flick the ball in off the underside of the bar.

Cambridge barely had time to respond to falling behind when they found themselves 2–0 down, with the second goal coming from the head of Argentine defender Marcos Rojo. He nodded in from van Persie’s cross to all but seal United’s passage into the Fifth Round before half time.

The visitors, who named ex-United midfielder Luke Chadwick in their starting line-up, were backed throughout by a large band of travelling supporters, many of whom had left Cambridge around 1 p.m. on Tuesday to arrive in plenty of time.

One supporters’ coach was delayed, however, after mechanical difficulties, leaving frustrated fans in danger of missing one of the biggest nights in the club’s recent history. The majority appeared to have made it to their seats by the time the game began, although reports emerged later that around 70 ‘U’s fans only reached Old Trafford with 15 minutes remaining of the 90.

The second period proved to be one in which, as Cambridge legs began to tire, United’s dominance in possession began to increase. Young striker James Wilson, who started the 0–0 draw at the Abbey 13 days ago, added a third for United with a crisp shot to beat Chris Dunn. Despite this, Dunn had another excellent evening to go with his heroic display in the home fixture, pulling off a string of saves to avoid further deficit.

Manager Richard Money praised his side’s efforts and was particularly happy with the ‘U’s defensive shape and organisation. He told BBC Sport: “I’m really pleased with them, especially second half … we gave the

ball away too cheaply in the first half.

But I couldn’t fault them for their organisation and work ethic.” Money will be hoping that the experience of facing United twice inside a fortnight will give the whole club a boost, not just financially but also on the pitch.

The ‘U’s host third-placed Wycombe at the weekend and are entering a crucial point in the season, with their play-off ambitions appearing to suffer a blow following a 3–2 defeat to Luton at the weekend.

In truth, the side 71 places above Cambridge in the English football pyramid could have helped themselves to more, with Rooney curling a delicious shot wide of Dunn’s far post, before van Persie blazed over from close range.

One felt, however, that further goals would have been harsh on the visitors, who worked hard throughout the 90 minutes.

It remained a night for many Cambridge fans to look back on with immense pride. Carol Looker, from the Cambridge Fans United supporters group, told TCS Sport that visiting Old Trafford was a great experience and was full of praise for her team’s performance: “It’s an experience just to go there … we played really well and now can turn our minds to the league and try to finish as high up as we can.”

Crossword 1.

2.

Image: Sean MacEntee Around 6,500 ‘U’s fans made the trip north-west, with Looker also delighted at their ability to out-sing the Old Trafford faithful.

The men in amber did fight until the very end, with Cameron McGeehan smashing a shot wide of the near post with seconds remaining. A routine win in the end for the Premier League giants, but an FA Cup experience which will live long in the memory for Cambridge United.

“I couldn’t fault them for their organisation and work ethic”

Manchester United: De Gea, McNair, Smalling, Evans, Rojo (Young), Rooney, Blind, Fellaini, Mata, Di Maria (Herrera), van Persie (Wilson).

Cambridge United: Dunn, Tait, Nelson (Miller), Coulson, Taylor, Donaldson, McGeehan, Champion, Chadwick (Morrissey), Elliott, Simpson (Kaikai)

Sudoku 3.

4.

5.

greeted Tony Blair in 2006 (2) 10. Winner of the Golden Glove at last year’s World Cup (5) 11. Acronym for the American alternative to A&E, also a series featuring George Clooney (2) 12. _____ ad absurdum (8)

Thomas Prideaux-Ghee

Down 6.

7.

9.

8.

10.

11.

12.

Across

1. The Witches of ____, a new play previewed on Page 23 (8) 5. The use or application of a learned skill (6) 6. ____ boat, a little ship used to move

1. Oxford University pledged to be a Living Wage _____ in 2013, along with Barclays, HSBC and Oxfam (8) 2. A word apocryphally thought to be the same in all languages. Recently been limited in number by Cambridge City Council (4) 3. Teach (8) 4. A bouncy marsupial (8) 8. A collection of legends, folktales, and arcane knowledge (4) 10. German for no (3) The solution to this week’s puzzles will be printed in our next issue.

much bigger ones (3) 7. The middle word of Victorian Prime Minister Gladstone’s affectionate nickname (3) 9. A slang word with which Former US President George W. Bush allegedly

We’re also looking for more crosswords and sudokus to appear in future issues. If you think you’ve got what it takes to devise a bamboozling masterpiece for us, send it over to editor@tcs.cam.ac.uk.

Last week’s solutions

05 February 2015

the cambridge student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Sport 32

Although some fixtures did go ahead, many matches were called off because of the weather, such as women’s football at Fitzwilliam Sports Ground

Image: Will Lyon-Tupman

12 0

Gerald Wu Sport Contributor

C

ambridge moved closer to winning their BUCS division after thrashing Coventry 12–0 away on Wednesday. The Blues have a six point lead with two rounds of fixtures remaining.

Cambridge started well by winning both doubles matches. Captain Tim Prossor and Neil Cordon making light work of their opponents won 6–1, 6–1.

Michael Pedersen and Alex Cole had a much tighter match, conceding the first set after losing serve at 5–5 before eventually prevailing 5–7, 6–2, 10–3.

The singles matches featured clinical wins for all four players. Prossor sustained the momentum from the first set to win 6–1 6–4 while Cordon won comfortably 6–1, 6–2. Michael Pedersen recorded a routine 6–3, 6–3 win while Alex Cole rounded off a solid team performance with a 6–3, 7–5 win.

Cambridge Bath

Women's Tennis

Men's Tennis

Cambridge Coventry

8 4

Monika Kondratowicz Sport Contributor

C

ambridge notched up the first points of the season this week.

Jane Coombs and Kadi Liis Saar at number one pair lost their doubles against a well-trained couple, 1–6, 5–7. The second pair, Tanya Li and Monika Kondratowicz, played a strong match, winning 6–7, 2–10, 10–7.

Cambridge put in a strong performance in the singles, with Liis Saar winning an epic encounter, 7–5, 2–6, 10-5 and Li came through in a tough encounter, winning it 6–4, 7–6(4). Kondratowicz won her match in efficient fashion: 6–3, 6–1. Coombs was unlucky to go down 5–7, 2–6 against a hard-hitting left-handed player.

Cambridge are feeling positive for the next few months of preparation for Varsity and will take heart from this solid performance against a strong side.

Men's American Football

Men’s and women’s tennis secure victories as Pythons win again Cambridge Anglia Ruskin

48 0

Alistair Gempf Sport Contributor

T

he first game back after the Christmas break saw the Cambridge Pythons record a 48-0 victory against the Anglia Ruskin Rhinos.

In the first quarter, the Pythons dominated with two touchdowns.

The Rhinos’ passing game was shut down for most of the second, with two interceptions for Tavener. Late in the half, ARU got a drive together that led to a field goal attempt, but was blocked

by Carr.

The third quarter was scrappy after another second-half Moore touchdown, until an interception was returned for a touchdown. The fourth quarter belonged to Cambridge, with a run for Bransden and the fifth interception of the game being made by Harvey.

Cambridge hope to keep momentum into their next game against UEA.